The Model Railway Village - Clonakilty, West Cork, Ireland

Leader Group

Visit Clonakilty

Clonakilty like many other small towns has suffered from economic recession during the past 20 years. This created a determination within the townspeople to try and help themselves to future recovery. In 1985 the Clonakilty Enterprise Board was formed and commissioned an economic study for the town's future growth. From this report came the need for a major focal point to give the town a strong tourism identity. Clonakilty is strategically located at the gateway to West Cork and has a strong base of natural amenities. It is the beach centre of the region with 90% of west Cork beaches within a 10-mile radius of the town.

The group visited various other Heritage centres in Ireland and Europe and decided that a Model Village would best compliment the natural environment of the region A model village of West Cork towns would promote not only Clonakilty but all the other main towns in the area. The importance of organising a full ring of attractions that would create a regional unity was one of the underlying motivations for the project.

Summary

Main ideas behind the development of the Model Village:

To establish a tourism facility strongly linked to other facilities in the area.

To interpret the industrial life of West Cork during the era 1930 to 1950.

To recreate the West Cork Railway line in miniature.

To construct models accurately in keeping with the era.

The Site

The site was donated by the U.D.C (Urban District Council) and was being used as a landfill site or a dump. It was not suitable for any type of heavy construction but ideal for the Model Village. Development was carried out in stages. The first town completed being Clonakilty and the model Village was opened officially to the public in 1994 by the then President Mary Robinson. Since opening Kinsale and Bandon have also been completed in full. Most of the Models were constructed here on site in the workshop by the F.A.S. workers who were trained by a professional modelmaker.