A lot of people ask about the train on our club crest. Trains and railways were an integral part of our community's history, so it's a fitting tribute to honour those days long gone. The Cork, Bandon, and South Coast Railway Line ran through the heart of our catchment area, with stops at Waterfall, Ballinhassig, Upton, Ballymartle, and Farrangalway.
The railway included remarkable landmarks, many of which remain visible in our community today—such as the Chetwynd Viaduct on the Bandon Road near Curraheen, the Goggins Hill Tunnel, the viaduct at the Halfway, and the ropeway to Ballinphellic in Ballygarvan.
The image on our logo symbolizes the two viaducts from this railway line, representing the wide catchment area our club serves in South Cork.
Recently, John L. O'Sullivan, an original member and player during Ballinhassig’s early years, reflected on the mammoth project to construct the Goggins Hill Tunnel. His insights were featured in the Evening Echo and the Cork Holly Bough.
"Long abandoned, the Goggins Hill Railway Tunnel was once the longest in the country, and its construction, a major engineering feat for the time, involved a workforce of over 300 people working day and night to bring it to fruition. The tunnel formed part of the now defunct Cork to Bandon Railway Line which was constructed over two phases. The first, the line between Ballinhassig and Bandon, opened in 1849 while the second phase, that of Cork to Ballinhassig, opened in 1851. That second phase required major civil engineering works of mammoth proportions including the development of the Viaduct across the Chetwynd Valley which still stands today as a stunning landmark of a different era in Cork’s western suburbs. The construction of the Goggins Hill Tunnel involved a workforce of over 300 people working day and night with very limited and, by today’s standard, very primitive machinery. Work on the tunnel took place between January 1850 and December 1851.
Several key individuals shaped the project, including engineer Charles Nixon. The chairperson of the Cork/Bandon Railway Co., Major Ludlow Beamish, met Nixon in London in 1846. He was recommended by Isambard Brunel, the renowned British Railway engineer in England at that time, as a person of outstanding ability. The chairperson impressed upon Mr Nixon the need for someone of his experience to become involved in the Cork to Bandon line which was at that time becoming a reality. The original engineer, Edmond Leahy, who was also the Cork County Surveyor, was in charge of the project but he resigned from his position in early 1847. Charles Nixon was initially involved with the company as Managing Director and Secretary at a salary of £650/year. However, following the departure of Edmond Leahy he became Engineer in Chief of the entire project with an increased salary of £800/year. A Resident Engineer was employed, Joseph Philip Ronayne from Cobh, and he remained with the operation until 1852. He later went into private practice in Cork and played an important role in the development of the Cork-Macroom railway line.
The Bandon to Ballinhassig line was opened officially on August 1, 1849. The distance of nearly 10 miles was travelled in 18 minutes and it was capable of carrying 120 passengers. A series of omnibuses (a four-horse drawn carriage) left the Imperial Hotel yard and brought the passengers to Ballinhassig Station from where they boarded the train to Bandon and passengers heading for the city would be brought in the same manner. The contract for the creation of the Ballinhassig to Cork phase was awarded to the English firm of Fox, Henderson & Co. They were a major engineering firm based in Birmingham, and they had their own office at 43, South Mall, such was the magnitude of the operation. Throughout the period they were creating the Goggins Hill Tunnel, they were also building the Crystal Palace in London and constructing the Athlone Railway Bridge over the Shannon. The land overhead the tunnel was purchased in late 1849, and work immediately started.
The tunnel is over 900 yards long and at that time was the longest railway tunnel in Ireland. It has a slight bend and it was constructed in a very practical manner. From the farm land over the tunnel the contractor proposed to sink six working vertical shafts at approximately 130 yards apart. Together with both entrances, this provided 14 working stations from which the tunnel would be constructed. Reporting to the Board of Directors in February 1850, Charles Nixon stated that four of the working shafts had been created to their required depth and the driving of the tunnel had been commenced there-from. This work was of both manual and physical labour and the workforce increased substantially once the outline of the tunnel was achieved. Between 1850 and 1851, there were 1,143 men and 90 horses working on the entire line from Cork to Ballinhassig.
The substructure of the tunnel was of a very hard and solid rock which saw dynamite being used in many instances to dislodge the massive structure. Indeed the borings where dynamite was inserted are still visible today. By August 1850, about 470 linear yards of the tunnel had been excavated and the formation of its full width of 24 feet was constructed at each of the six shafts. Three of those shafts were to remain in position as part of the permanent ventilation system for the safe operation of the railway. In some parts of the tunnel, the material was of a loose nature and this required support with masonry arching and brick lining. At a meeting on February 10, 1851, William Elworthy, the project leader, reported that they would expect to have the whole line and the terminal building completed by July 1. Work continued on the tunnel for several months and on May 5 Major Beamish and the directors proceeded to Ballinhassig Station for the purpose of opening the Goggins Hill Tunnel which by then was nearly completed.
Crowds of people from the surrounding countryside congregated at the station and the directors were accompanied by Charles Nixon, Chief Engineer, and Joseph Philip Ronayne, Resident Engineer. It was first intended that the train would be propelled through the tunnel, but the workers whose labour had completed this mammoth project claimed the honour and drew the carriage through in less than 15 minutes. This action drew huge applause from the assembled public. Its completion at this early stage was chiefly attributed to William Elworthy. His kind treatment of all those working on the project was described as exemplary. Under his supervision, the tunnel, the cutting of which is through solid rock was vigorously prosecuted and expertly carried out.
Following the opening of the tunnel, all of the equipment and machinery used in its construction was auctioned by Roger Evans at South Terrace on August 1. These included 35 horses, weighing machines, chaff cutters, various carts, pumps and a piling engine capable of lifting 13 cwt. from 46 feet. Captain Wynne, the Government Railway Inspector, tested the operation of the line on December 5. When the train approached the tunnel the inspector directed that it should be totally illuminated. Torches were held aloft by men standing on the carriage and a perfect view of the excavation was attained. On returning to Cork he reported that he saw no reason why it should not open and the first passenger train from Cork to Bandon took place on December 8, 1851. The line remained in continuous use for over 100 years.
The volume of rock removed to create the tunnel was of vast quantities and could certainly have exceeded 30,000 tons. The Cork terminus was constructed in Monarea Marsh (now Albert Quay). The company purchased nearly four acres of that marsh to cater for the terminus building, the laying of incoming and outgoing tracks and large open space storage areas. In the early 1850s, the macadamizing of the streets of Cork city was carried out in large proportions using Goggins Hill stone. The natural mode of transport for the rock was on the train carriage to the station in Cork. It was stored in the storage areas adjacent to the terminal building and was carted to the various streets around the city. The cartage rate for delivering the stone was 8d. per load. Some councillors felt that the Corporation should be using a more local stone for street maintenance, but the City Engineer was steadfast in his belief that the hard nature of the Goggins Hill stone was far superior to all others over the years.He reported that he had laid, as a trial, half of Winthrop Street with limestone and the other half with Goggins Hill stone and that the limestone had to be replaced after one year.
So not alone did the creation of the tunnel create a transport hub for so many, but its excavated material provided an outstanding base for the streets of Cork for several years."
For a history of Ballinhassig AFC 1979-2001 check out John L. O'Sullivan's excellent book "21 Years of Success" which was published in 2001
