The Way we Were

The Way We Were project reflects, remembers and celebrates Dundalk’s railway and captures the daily routines and heritage of pre and post 1950s Dundalk and the adjacent areas of south Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and Antrim.

The Way We Were a project supported by the PEACE III Programme managed for the Special EU Programmes Body by the Community Relations Council/Pobal Consortium, reflects, remembers and celebrates Dundalk’s railway and captures the daily routines and heritage of pre and post 1950s Dundalk and the adjacent areas of south Armagh, Down, Fermanagh and Antrim.

In its time, Dundalk was a major railway centre facilitating the meeting of lines from Belfast, Dublin, Enniskillen, and Greenore as well as the site for the engineering works of the Great Northern Railway. There are many older people in Dundalk who have memories of those times and of the working together of railway men from differing places and backgrounds. This is the last generation of people who grew up in a way of life that has now disappeared and who worked on the Great Northern Railway abolished over 50 years ago. It is important to record the memories of this way of life for future generations and to provide a resource for young people as a record of a bygone age from which they can see and hear the experiences and stories of real people who lived through the most difficult of times, providing a much needed service to the people of Ireland, North and South.

The Way We Were will run until December 2010, adopting a qualitative approach involving in-depth interviews with older participants which facilitate story-telling and share experiences for future generations.

Remembering Barrack Street Railway Depot

A DVD was shown on the day of the exhibition giving a brief history of the Barrack Street Goods Yard, if you would like to view it. View Video.

Nearly 200 people of all ages, from both sides of the border and as far afield as England, travelled to Dundalk on Thursday 30th September to attend a photographic exhibition remembering Dundalk’s railway heritage. The exhibition took place in the Parlour Room in the Great Northern Haven, Barrack Street, the site of Dundalk’s first passenger station, first Railway Works and the Saw Mill for making and creosoting railway sleepers for the entire Great Northern Railway (GNR) network.

Local opinion by visitors was that both young and old very much enjoyed the presentation of photographs and listening to the recordings of local older people who once worked in the Barrack Street site. Some voicing that the day and the exhibition were “very moving” after having recognised a parent or grandparent in the photographs on display.

Dr Lucia Carragher, from the Netwell Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology who organised the event said “we are absolutely delighted with the turnout and the interest in the project. Age is often viewed negatively by society and we need to address such misguided and negative perceptions of older people. Events such as today’s can help achieve this by recognising that older people are active citizens who contribute positively to society. The Netwell Centre would be hopeful that Positive Ageing Week 2010 stimulates debate on the importance of recognising and appreciating older people’s skills, experiences, wisdom and achievements”.

The Way We Were, a project supported by PEACE III Programme and managed for the Special EU programmes Body by the Community Relations Council/Pobula consortium.