Old Moate rail footbridge to be reinstated in September

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Moate footbridge to be reinstated in September 2026, following its removal in recent weeks as it undergoes a process of restoration.

Works on the historic railway footbridge in Moate are being carried out by Nenagh based company Mackey Plant Construction Limited. The contract for the restoration of the bridge had an estimated value of €280,000 excluding VAT.

Restoration plans include the repair or replacement of ironwork elements of the bridge; stairs, columns, central supporting pillars, balustrades and the complete renewal of the main deck and half landings with steel gratings as well as priming and repainting of all elements.

Joe Nestor, Chair of Moate Railway Station Group said the contractor will restore the bridge to its former glory.

"In the last 3 or 4 years, the bridge has gotten very worn down. It had pieces falling off it, and it just wasn't safe. It was actually closed to the public," Mr Nestor said.

"The initial plan was to restore the bridge in place, but it had lead paint on it. That meant the greenway would've been closed off for a number of months, so they decided to take it away instead."

He noted that the Moate Railway Station Group also asked the contractor to reinstate two lampstands on the bridge, which were presumably stolen in recent years.

"We have pictures from the film [The First Great Train Robbery, starring Sean Connery] from when it was filmed here in 1982, and we've asked them to put those back, which they have agreed to do."

Mr Nestor said the restoration will make the area "much safer" for the community.

"It's a great facility for the community. We've been working for the last 12 years to get improvements carried out, and restoring the bridge will make the area much safer.

"When it comes back, it will be open to the public, giving access to all, although that could pose its own challenges too."

Mr Nestor added that the Moate Railway Station Group and Moate Tidy Towns team are hoping to host an outdoor cinema screening of The First Great Train Robbery at Moate Railway Station in September once the footbridge is reinstated, to commemorate 50 years since the movie was filmed.

The Midlands and Great Western Rail line between Mullingar and Galway was completed in 1851, with Moate one of the stations.

The single span footbridge crosses the railway line approximately 20m to the east of the station house. It spans some 10.4 metres and is formed from eight bays of rivetted iron plate guardings, supported and capped by T-beams.

A conservation report prepared for Westmeath County Council in 2024 noted that it is likely that much of the corrosion evident has occurred since the station was taken out of service in the late 1980s.

The report found that since the footbridge was cleaned down and repainted in advance of the re-opening of the station along the Old Rail Trail greenway, corrosion has continued to the extent that it is now seen in vulnerable connections.

Earlier this year, Westmeath County Council was allocated €125,510.63 for works on the footbridge from the Historic Structures Fund.