Belfast's own Crystal Palace (on Queen's Island, 1850s) - Marcus Ward / NLI

Mystery pic. Where? Anyone? @locusinpes.bsky.social @paulbigland.bsky.social @randomrailways.bsky.social @everylaststation.bsky.social @railwayarch.bsky.social @railfocus.bsky.social

I think this has gone a bit under the radar, so a reminder: the deadline for replies for the Global Irish Survey is this Sunday: www.ireland.ie/en/irish-dia... There are separate surveys for individuals and for diaspora organisations. There's also a portal for submitting short position papers.

Getting ready for my 175 Years of Navan Railway exhibition! 20th-24th August at Solstice Arts Centre, Navan for Heritage Week. I'm giving a lecture at launch 20th Aug 6.30pm. All free but do book for lecture - more than half seats gone already! solsticeartscentre.ie/event/175-ye...

Would anyone be interested in doing a #BSECS2026 panel on Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon’ (1975)?

IMPORTANT #BSECS2026 NEWS! Registration for #BSECS2026 opens on Sunday 1 June! Submit your CFP on the theme of 'Big & Small' and join us for our 55th annual conference 7-9 Jan 2026 @pembrokeoxford.bsky.social #18thC #skystorians 🗃️ Click on the link for the full CFP www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/...

Our 4th @railway200.bsky.social at @astonuniversity.bsky.social event will take place on 17 Sept at 1730 in the Susan Cadbury theatre. Join us to hear about some of the groundbreaking research on railways that is being undertaken at the University. Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/railway-re...

Gives Israel weeks to carry on, if anything incentives acceleration. Silly Airstrip 1 government in denial about its relevance making a silly offer. And just revolting to make a recognition of statehood of Palestine contingent on the actions of the country annihilating it. Sanctions, now.

175 Years of Navan Railway, free exhibition at Solstice Arts Centre Navan 20th-24th August for Heritage Week. I curated this with Navan & District Historical Society. There'll be photos and original drawings on display. Book your free place for launch & lecture solsticeartscentre.ie/event/175-ye...

It is with great sorrow that the Society shares the news of the death of Professor Andrew Saint. We deeply mourn the loss of a great scholar and a much loved companion. Read more: bit.ly/457fEQJ An obituary will appear in the November edition of The Victorian, our membership magazine. #heritage

Excited to say that I'm now represented by Past Preservers for media appearances! @pastpreservers.bsky.social Have a look at my profile video: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr... Email: [email protected]

#Railway200 • @rwldproject.bsky.social 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Railway Work, Life & Death Project Wales Data Launch 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🛤 I attended a fantastic launch at Llanelli Railway Goods Shed a few weeks ago 🛤 #Wales #History

TOMORROW! The Railway Work, Life & Death project stand IS at #Kidderminster on the Severn Valley Railway! It's part of the 'Inspiration' #Railway200 exhibition train visit - come & see us too! We'll be premiering our free new leaflet, focused on the SVR!

There is another way the royal family could save the country a few quid... #Republic bbc.com/news/article...

Happy Pride!🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Learn about Dublin's queer history by watching @paraickerrigan.bsky.social's Oak Room Talk 'Queer Joy and Loss: Ambivalent Intersections at Dublin's Hirschfeld Centre, 1979-87', available now on our YouTube channel youtu.be/9gu1olAfuGU?...

Really enjoyed the @ssnci.bsky.social conference in Aberdeen at the weekend. Loved the granite city and will definitely be back! Lots of great projects on Ireland's rich history, lovely to meet lots of like-minded researchers too. Thanks to Michael Brown @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social for organising.

🎬 🚂 Join us for Station to Station at the Toy Museum: an unforgettable night of film, music, poetry & live performance. All in support of railway heritage. More info here: shorturl.at/kma1y

New plans need new objections! 🚂 The current planning application for Liverpool Street Station is an entirely new one, so any objections submitted in 2023 will not now be taken into consideration. We have created a simple Guide to Writing an Objection here: bit.ly/3ZQRkk8 📷 Bishopsgate Institute

SSNCI2025 Starts tomorrow!

Ireland had hundreds of railway stations!

Liffey Loop Line railway bridge spliced through Dublin in 1891 linking Connolly Station at Amiens Street and Pearse Station at Westland Row. Designed by John Chaloner Smith chief engineer Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway, and Arthur and George Mills, engineers for Great Northern Railway (Ireland)

Getting ready for Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland @ssnci.bsky.social conference at @uniofaberdeen.bsky.social this week! I'll be presenting ‘The Alphabet of the Engineer: The Universal Language of Engineering Draughtsmanship’ at 9am on Saturday 21st June. See you there!

The SSNCI will hold its 2025 Annual Conference at the @abdnriiss.bsky.social at the University of Aberdeen on 19-21 June 2025! To find out more see ssnci.org/annual-confe...

Had a great time presenting my lecture on Dublin's Railway Architecture for Dublin City Council @dublincityheritage.bsky.social It's now free to watch on YouTube: youtu.be/LrEpdxzCZnk?... Great to have Irish Sign Language provided too!

Missed Dr Siobhan Osgood's (@railwayarch.bsky.social) Oak Room Talk last month? You can now watch the full talk on our youtube channel: youtu.be/LrEpdxzCZnk?...

DAY TO DAY TRACK MAINTENANCE PART 1 - PLAIN LINE (1952)

200 for #Railway200 - a new thread! We're 200 days out from the 200th anniversary of the 1st passenger journey on the Stockton & Darlington Railway, on 27 September 1825. To mark it, we'll post a person a day from the Railway Work, Life & Death project's research.

CAPITAL VISIT (1955)

A huge thank you to Dr Siobhan Osgood @railwayarch.bsky.social who gave a fascinating talk on the often overlooked architectural and industrial heritage of Dublin's major railway terminals last night as part of our Oak Room lecture series. We were delighted to have had such a big crowd in!

Looking forward to this tomorrow evening, see you there if you've booked! You can apply for the waiting list for the in person talk or wait for the recording. @dublincityheritage.bsky.social

One advantage of being on a very long train (for a very long time) is the ability to photograph the back end of it, from the front! Here the 15.19 from Plymouth crosses Brunel's bridge over the River Plym. #heritage #engineering @railwayarch.bsky.social @gwr.com

Since joining BlueSky we've been building a Starter Pack to highlight the work of fellow historical societies and associations. We've now reached our 150 limit, so have divided the list into 2 packs: the first covers societies in the UK and Republic of Ireland go.bsky.app/AZaYQDd ... #skystorians

The next meeting of the Irish Historical Society is next Tuesday (25 Mar), at 7pm. Dr Edward Burke (UCD) will address the society with a paper entitled: ‘‘Ulster's Lost Counties: Loyalism and Paramilitarism since 1920’. Join us in person at Boston College, 43 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin.

Doing final touches for my talk 'Dublin's Railway Architecture' for Dublin City Council's Oak Room Talks at the Mansion House on 23 April. I see it is fully booked - thank you! - but it will be recorded and available afterwards. Keep an eye out for the other talks: www.eventbrite.ie/cc/oak-room-...

Diary date in Bath. @trainstramstracks.bsky.social @steamlocomotivefan.bsky.social @railwaygazette.com @simplyrailways.bsky.social @railwayarch.bsky.social @steamtrains.bsky.social @bathnesgreens.org.uk @bathlabour.bsky.social @holburnemuseumbath.bsky.social

Enroute to Leeds for the @societyarmy.bsky.social Land Forces of the Crown conference where I’ll be honoured to deliver my first ever keynote speech. Had to pause before boarding to admire the beautiful architecture of King’s Cross Station

Don't forget to register for your free ticket for our annual lecture with the brilliant Lindsay Janssen!

Coming Summer 2025! Courtesy of @ssnci.bsky.social and three exceptional (if I do say so) staff from ucddublin.bsky.social and a dozen of their genius peers #ssnci #ireland #conflict www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....

@stockporttrains.bsky.social @stockportcouncil.bsky.social @elwick70.bsky.social @railwayarch.bsky.social @railfocus.bsky.social 40 years of Stockport Viaduct. @railwayheritage.bsky.social @markonthemaps.bsky.social @paulbigland.bsky.social @locusinpes.bsky.social @modernrailways.keypublishing.com

Please share widely! CFP for Irish Studies: Deep Time in Irish Literature, Culture, Media, and the Arts MLA 2026 in Toronto, guaranteed panel. Proposals of 150 words by February 28, 2025 to [email protected]. Roundtable discussion, short papers. Details: www.facebook.com/groups/16780...

First Class ticket on Enterprise service Dublin to Belfast is 33 euro, great value for money!

CFP: 'Ireland and the American Revolution'. The organisers invite submissions for papers to be presented at a conference held in the Trinity Long Room Hub at Trinity College Dublin on the 9-10 October 2025. If you are interested submit an abstract of 250 words and a brief bio by the 1 May 2025.

Wilkinstown wayside and level-crossing station, Co. Meath. Now a private residence on the now Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway, the tracks, platform and signals have been left in tact. Opened in 1872 the line runs from Navan to Kingscourt in Co. Cavan. It closed to passengers in 1947.

'Factory Junction' (2015) by Gail Brodholt gailbrodholt.com 👤: @gailbrodholt.bsky.social

This looks like a great project and one I’d love to do if I were going back to do a PhD.

Don't forget to book your free ticket to hear the brilliant Lindsay Janssen on 28 Feb! For more see ssnci.org/annual-lectu...

213 followers now - hi to you all! Train 377211 + random pix. But where is the 37 & the NG Travvy? And an Atomic train? @rclongauthor.bsky.social @thebulletin.org @elwick70.bsky.social @paulbigland.bsky.social @randomrailways.bsky.social @trainstramstracks.bsky.social @railwayarch.bsky.social

This evening's base: Wynns Hotel, Dublin for the Irish Railway Record Society annual dinner. Great to catch up with members, meet fellow railway history buffs and a few company chiefs!

There is a petition to sign and a Justgiving to raise funds for the campaign. Here's the info: www.victoriansociety.org.uk/national-new...

Unfortunately I witnessed very unsightly changes to Liverpool Central in 1971. It and its impressive St Pancras style train shed were demolished.