Locals plan to protest on rail line during the Ryder Cup in Limerick over 'deathtrap' level crossing

A GROUP of Adare residents have vowed to stop trains bringing golf fans to the Ryder Cup next year over fears somebody will be killed on a level crossing.

Local man Frank O’Riordan said they will stand on the rail line in protest over a bridge which he claims was promised by Iarnród Éireann. Some months later, he said, they were informed that a bridge wouldn’t be built over the rail line in a cul-de-sac at Kilnockan, Adare.

Works are continuing apace on the disused €151.5m Limerick to Foynes freight line refurbishment project. It is hoped 10,000 Europe and America supporters will use the rail line, with a spur to Adare, to enjoy the action daily in September of 2027.

Mr O’Riordan said four homeowners and three landowners will have to use gates to cross the railway line if they want to get out in or out to the main Blackabbey Road,

“My heart sank when I got the email to say they weren’t building a bridge - we’ll be prisoners in our own homes. It will be a deathtrap without a bridge. Everybody who currently lives up from the train tracks is aged in their 60s, 70s or 80s,” said Mr O’Riordan, who was born and raised in Kilnockan, Adare.

READ NEXT: Criminals try every house and car door handle in Limerick estate before stealing vehicle

Between residents coming and going and visiting carers, he estimates between 84 to 90 crossings of the rail line daily. Mr O’Riordan lists a number of health and safety concerns and believes somebody will be killed.

“You have to open the gates, drive through and close the gates after you. My sister Ann’s husband, Ken Colgan, is in a wheelchair. What happens if the car stalls on the rail line - she won’t be able to get him out in time if a train is coming.

“We will close the gates but what about visitors who leave them open? Take, for example, a courier,  they could easily drive through the open gate onto the line and if a train is coming… We know the risks but people not familiar with the road or rail line won’t realise it’s dangerous. 

“Crossing the line when it is foggy or pitch dark will be perilous. It’s putting people’s lives in jeopardy. It’s just crazy in this day and age,” said Mr O’Riordan. He says a number of farmers have got over or underpasses for their stock.

“Are cattle more important than humans?” asks Mr O’Riordan. The 68-year-old said a number of locals have agreed among themselves to protest when the Ryder Cup comes to Adare Manor unless a solution is found.

“When a passenger train is coming we are prepared to protest on the track with placards,” said Mr O’Riordan. A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said their policy is to eliminate, where practicable, level crossings and their associated risks on the rail network. 

“For level crossings, like the one at this location, this is normally achieved by the construction of a new bridge over, or under, the railway by local agreement. While significant local consultation took place, unfortunately, an agreement was not reached,” said the spokesperson.

They said this particular level crossing is a narrow cul-de-sac road serving a small number of private properties “equating to relatively low usage of the crossing itself”. 

“The treatment for a level crossing is determined through a risk management process which includes key parameters such as the type of road or level crossing, volume of rail and road traffic, speed of rail and road traffic, and the views available at the crossing. 

“This process determined a user-worked level crossing as the most appropriate solution at this location, in the absence of a bridge solution,” said the spokesperson, who concluded by saying steps for safe operation of the crossing have been - and will continue to be communicated to local users over the coming months - in advance of the line entering operation.