POD, Dublin City, Ireland - Top Dublin City Centre Clubbing Music Venue


		HARCOURT STREET TRAIN STATION HISTORY The Harcourt Street Train Station was one of Dublin's mainline train terminals for over 90 years. Passengers entered the terminus between Doric columns on each side of the high arched entrance inscribed with Roman numerals giving the opening date MDCCCLIX (1859).


			The imposing colonnaded terminus, designed by the railway architect George Wilkinson, operated until 1953 serving the entire South-East as far as Wexford, Rosslare & Waterford. On a busy day it handled up to 30 suburban trains including 'Race Specials' to Leopardstown Race Meetings and more interestingly given it's present day embodiment 'Dance Excursion' trains to the Arcadia Ballroom in Bray! One of the most spectacular accidents in Irish railway history happened at Harcourt St Station on St. Valentines Day 1909. An incoming cattle train from Enniscorthy failed to stop, crashed through the buffer stops and the metre-thick outer station wall, leaving the engine perched precariously above Hatch Street some nine metres below. Miraculously nobody was killed, neither civilians, guard, cattlemen nor their beasts, but the driver of the train, 22 year old William Hyland, was trapped in the wreckage and had to have his right arm amputated.


	In more recent years an explanation for the accident has been advanced. It has been recorded that in the days of steam trains many of the older drivers were careful to blow the engine's whistle before crossing the Grand Canal Bridge. When asked why, their answer was 'to warn the fairies'. Many found this amusing and regarded it merely as an old superstition. However, according to late historian Dierdre Kelly in her book 'Four Roads to Dublin', a Map of Dublin by John Rocque in 1757 shows a 'Fairy Rath' at the point where the railway crossed the Grand Canal. This Rath was destroyed in the building of the Grand Canal and the fairies were obliged thereafter to reside underneath the Canal at that point. The older drivers on the Harcourt St Line were aware of this and always blew the whistle to warn the fairies of train's approach. Unfortunately on St. Valentines Day 1909, the driver of the ill-fated cattle train did not give the fairies their customary warning - with disatrous results! PUBLIC TOURS Old Harcourt St Train Station has been determined by the Irish Government Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, as a building that is intrinsically of significant architectural interest for the purpose of section 482 of the TCA 1997. As such, there is a tour of the building at 5pm each Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the year. There is no admission charge for this public tour. Venues: POD \| Tripod \| CrawDaddy \| Lobby Bar


		Old Harcourt Station, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, Ireland		Tel: + 353 1 4763374		Email: info@pod.ie		legal