![]() If Mayo can have a Greenway, and if Waterford can have a Greenway, and if Blessington can have a Greenway, then why not Shillelagh/Arklow? Preliminary soundings have been made but the project remains some way from being in reality and in the meantime other moves are well under way. Peter would also love to see the line revived, half a century on, as a cycle and hiking route. Peter sees the tower being re-built and the turntable being re-incarnated as a 150-seat performance venue. In their next door field, the site of the old turntable where the locomotives were spun through 180 degrees for the return trip east is still to be seen, as are the remnants of the water tower which served the steam engines. The platform where the trains coming from Woodenbridge used to pull in is still clearly discernible as a seating area out the back. Their home retains many reminders of its past purpose, complete with waiting room designed for use by the lord who had paid for the line.This is now a pleasant family sitting room, while the waiting room for the plebs serves as kitchen for the 21st century inhabitants. The family now feel that they are nearing the end of the line in their effort towards restoration. The redbrick station house served as a GP's surgery while but showed many signs of neglect by the time its new owners moved in. The last passenger train pulled out of the station in 1944, though freight services limped on into the fifties. When the bidding stopped, the Houlihans were the new owners of a piece of history - a very rundown piece of history. It was back in 2004 that he attended the auction held in Tullow and found himself last man standing at the sale. ![]() The way he tells it, the acquisition of the old railway station sounds almost as though it was an accident. ![]() It was only 15 years ago that the couple established a presence in Sandra's native town. ![]() His wife Sandra is from firmly rooted local stock but he traces his roots back to Athenry in Galway and he has long been resident in Dublin. Peter Houlihan brings an outsider's eye to the topic as he is not a native of the village he has come to know and love. The departing chairman is confident that the right steps are being taken to allow the younger generation some prospect of staying in Shillelagh. Scenery and quaintness will never put much life into the local economy, unless moves are made to encourage visitors stay and pay. With a population of less than 400, the village is picturesque to the nth degree. The company was established as a trust to administer land and properties handed over to the residents by the Fitzwilliams. However, his prognosis is not all gloom and measures are already under way to tackle the malaise. 'Lads I am friendly with are working up in Dublin or Baltinglass. As he steps down from his position as chairman of the Shillelagh People's Property Company, he says: 'The village here is struggling economically. Yet Shillelagh will die a slow death, unless it takes steps to revive itself - that is the worrying conclusion of Peter Houlihan. Its crumbling Big House heritage speaks of connections to a wider world. Its legacy of homes laid out in neat lines and constructed from local rock is striking. Its location in the hills at the butt of the Wicklow Mountains is unique. Yes, Shillelagh is special, as anyone who has ever passed through the place well knows. Shillelagh, home of the once mighty Fitzwilliams.
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