Foynes

Foynes Faing (Irish)
Town
Foynes Harbour
Foynes Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°36′40″N 9°06′25″W / 52.611°N 9.107°W / 52.611; -9.107
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Limerick
Elevation	3 m (10 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]	520
Irish Grid Reference	R251512

Foynes (/ˈfɔɪnz/; Irish: Faing^[2]) is a town and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 520 as of the 2016 census.^[1]

Foynes's role as seaport

Foynes as a port has a long history, being first surveyed in 1837, and is now the location of a major deep water seaport operated by the Shannon Foynes Port Company, an amalgamation under the Harbours Act 2000 of the agencies operating the ports of Limerick and Foynes. It is anticipated that more traffic from the upstream Limerick Port will ultimately be diverted there as the latter portlands are redeveloped as commercial and residential properties. A railway line to Limerick via Patrickswell and Raheen is in existence but not operational. Iarnród Éireann's policy of concentrating on what it sees as more profitable passenger operations means the Port's traffic is entirely served by road.^{[citation needed]}

Foynes Port Company was amalgamated with the Shannon Estuary Ports Company (which had responsibility for the other areas of the Estuary) in 2000, to form Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC). SFPC is the second largest port facility in Ireland, handling over 10 million tonnes of cargo annually through the six terminals currently operational. Planning permission has been granted for an

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, land-based planes lacked sufficient flying range for

Foynes railway station opened on 29 April 1858, as the terminus of a line from Limerick which was subsequently extended west from Ballingrane to Tralee. The station closed to passengers on 4 February 1963,^[5] but remained open for freight traffic until 30 October 2000. The Limerick–Foynes railway line was "mothballed" at the end of 2001 (the line from Ballingrane to Tralee having been lifted in the late 1980s). The annual Irish Rail weed-spraying train last traversed the line on 7 May 2002.^[6]

The Shannon Foynes Port Company reportedly maintained contact with Irish Rail to discuss reopening the line for bulk cargo projects and,^[7] in April 2011, the company's chairperson said that they were confident that the rail link could be reopened.^[8] In June 2015, €800,000 of EU funding was secured for a study to develop the business case to reopen the line.^[9] In early 2023, it was announced that a contractor had been appointed and works on reopening the line were due to commence in February 2023.^[10]

Bus

Bus Éireann route number 314 provides a few journeys a day to Limerick via Askeaton. In the opposite direction, there are buses to Glin with a weekend service to Tralee and a summer service to Ballybunion.

Places of interest

In addition to the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, the Knockpatrick Gardens, an award-winning 3-acre (12,000 m²) garden overlooking the Shannon Estuary, is located 2 km (1 mi) from Foynes.^[11]

Foynes is near to

Saint Senan's GAA club draws its players from the parish centred on Foynes and the neighbouring town of Shanagolden. Although it has fielded hurling teams on occasions, it is primarily a Gaelic football club. After winning the intermediate championship in 2003, Saint Senan's were narrowly beaten in the final of the 2006 Limerick Senior Football Championship. Its predecessor, the Foynes team, won its only senior championship in 1907.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland.

References

External links

• Destination Foynes - the Flying Boat Era 1937-1945
• Shannon Foynes Port Company
• Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum - Homepage