Letter bemoans Mullingar's 'dilapidated' station

A letter to the Irish Times from a Mr Pat Wallace of Dublin 4, told of how "surprised and saddened" he was when he visited Mullingar railway station for the first time in years, just last Sunday.

"Nothing has been done to conserve the 19th century building," claimed Mr Wallace.

Saying he had sought the support of Dick Hogan of the Westmeath Topic a decade or more ago on this very topic, he added that "nothing has happened" since.

"The abandoned building survives like a decayed ghost, the rotting rows of its conjoined vertical pelmets hanging from the roofs, the roof timbers in a much more dilapidated state than when I first admired them.

"All this, despite the country being awash with funds for arguably less compelling conservation projects," he argued.

"The consideration of this significant piece of industrial archaeology is a worthy cause for a politician or the Department of Transport, or the Department of Tourism or even Transport Ireland, or the Heritage Council, especially now that Mullingar is poised to become a major hub in a projected cross-Border railway link."

Read the letter in full here.