Popular retired Offaly railway man honoured for lifetime's work

A RETIRED railway signalman and local history and photography enthusiast has been honoured.

Charlie Finlay – from Colehill, Cappincur – was recently presented with a watercolour painting of Tullamore railway station, a place where he spent much of his working life.

The presentation was made to Charlie by retired architect and town planner, Fergal MacCabe, following a lecture given by Fergal in Tullamore recently.

Fergal – who is passionate about Tullamore's heritage and future development – is a talented writer, artist and historian.

His illustrated presentation was entitled "Can town planning make Tullamore a better place?" and was given recently at Offaly History Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore.

Fergal's talk opened the debate on the upcoming ten year-Local Area Plan for the Offaly county town.

Since 1967 the growth of Tullamore has been guided by seven successive development plans which delivered the bypass, the town park, the pedestrianisation of O’Connor Square and many other improvements.

Though promised in 2021, no statutory plan which would identify future local projects like these has yet been revealed.

The next opportunity would appear to lie in the upcoming 2027-37 County Offaly Development Plan which will hopefully promote a Tullamore Local Area Plan.

Fergal took the opportunity following the talk to present his water colour of Tullamore railway station to Charlie Finlay.

Charlie spent virtually his entire working life with CIE – later Iarnrod Eireann – at Geashill and Tullamore railway stations.

A trained signal man, he operated the manual signal system at Tullamore station until it went automatic in 1984.

READ NEXT: https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/1717090/the-long-read-charlie-recalls-a-lifetime-working-on-the-railway-in-offaly-stations.html