HISTORIC FOCUS
TRAINS, TURMOIL & IRISH PARTITION
A century ago this month, Ireland was partitioned. With it came new rules requiring passenger luggage and goods traffic to be inspected at 21 stations along the border between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Robin Morton takes up the story.
The partition of Ireland 100 years ago in May 1921 was nobody’s first choice. Unionists had campaigned for the whole of Ireland to remain under British rule, while nationalists demanded independence. And partition was certainly not the first choice of the railways in general; the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) in particular. At a stroke, the GNR(I) found itself to be an international company, operating in two jurisdictions.
The Great Northern system criss-crossed the new frontier no fewer than 17 times, although six crossings were accounted for by the meandering Fermanagh-Monaghan boundary between Clones and Cavan.
While the route taken by the railway strayed in and out of the north, the stations on this section happened to be in the Irish Free State – a stroke of luck for the GNR(I).
The new regulations came into force in April 1923 and saw customs officers north and south examining passenger luggage and goods traffic at 21 stations. The timetable had to be rejigged to allow for delays at frontier stations; some 320 miles of the 543 miles of track operated by the Great Northern lay in Northern Ireland, the rest in the Free State.
“Inevitably, the checks led to considerable delays and discomfort for passengers. At the post, passengers had to present parcels and suitcases for inspection. Goods trains were also closely checked, and this too led to long delays.”
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1442 - May 2021
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