Now a fantastic amenity walkway its original iteration as a railway line was a costly but bold project in early nineteenth century Cork.

It was in 1835 that the plan for a Cork to Passage railway was first proposed by Cork based merchants. Its creation was influenced by the Dublin and Kingstown rail line, which was being constructed at the time. Indeed, there were noticeable similar designs between the Dublin line and the Cork proposal, mainly because the same engineers were working on both – namely Charles Vignoles and Sir John MacNeil.

By the time the Cork Blackrock and Passage Railway line was built it was the third railway line to open in the country and the first in the south of Ireland. Such a latter accolade was important to the burgeoning middle classes of Cork, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, who were very determined on Cork’s engagement in developing Cork Harbour infrastructure to help trade and move goods from the city to the lower harbour with ease.

On one of the arched bridges at the Blackrock cutting is a large carved stone with the inscribed year of 1848 denoting when this solid and architecturally impressive bridge over the developing railway track was completed and unveiled. The Blackrock cutting as well was the most difficult part of the project to dig out through the rock with the use of gunpowder.

With the recent conservation works one can also see the other two bridges in the Blackrock cutting clearer, and see their high end stone work. Indeed if one looks closer from the Skehard Road side in the present day towards Blackrock, one can see that the old (Ballinsheen) railway bridge has marked pillars coming out from it to show a heightened status as if the Blackrock cutting was a site to show off elements of engineering and construction.

For a cohort of Cork’s mercantile classes, the railway project was a culmination of almost 15 years of ambitious lobbying and assembling serious funding from Westminster and a serious crowd-funding from other local and regional merchants. The cost of construction was £21,000 per mile – and the line was just over six miles from Cork to Passage.

  For another cohort of Cork society who were suffering from the ravages of Famine, perhaps they had little or no opinion – the 5,000 people crammed into Cork Union Workhouse built to host 2,000 people on Douglas Road or the 4,000-5,000 recorded beggars on the streets of Cork. 

In 1896, an Act of Parliament enabled the company to extend the line as far as Crosshaven. John Best Leith, Scotland received the contract for the regauging of the line. Works began in 1897. A new double track was laid between Cork and Blackrock, the only example of a double track in Ireland at the time. Unfortunately, by 1932, the increase in the use of motor cars caused a decrease in the use of the line by passengers. Consequently, financial decline forced the railway to close.

The former line re-opened in sections for pedestrians and cyclists from 1984 onwards. Its existence through has not been without controversy in the past and within the present day. Pressure through aims from historic Cork city development plans through the 1970s to the 1990s still reign to reboot a light rail line from Cork’s South Docks to Passage West.

Strong political and public pressure have staved off such aspirations of a rail reboot function in the past decade in favour of Cork City Council developing a widened greenway, significantly improving its access ramps, and planting over 2,000 native species along the former rail route.

  A conservation programme was also in play restoring the old stonework of the old Blackrock Station and replacing a long gone cast iron bridge. Currently there is also ongoing work on how to bring the greenway from Rochestown to connect up with the Cork County Council section of the railway, which brings the line into the heart of Passage West.

The line over the years has been the subject of local history newspaper articles and a number of books, and a fantastic Facebook page, which promotes its cultural heritage and value in the south east of Cork City.

Read about Joe McHugh Park and Estuary Walk, 10. Joe McHugh Park and Estuary Walk | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy

Read Kieran’s June 2024 local election manifesto here: 2. Kieran’s Manifesto, Local Elections 2024 | Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Kieran McCarthy