Shane's Castle

From the collection of

Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive
Launched in 2000, Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive spans from 1897 to the present day and currently contains an ever-expanding catalogue of 13,000 items. It comprises material from a variety of depositors including feature films, sport, documentaries, animation, amateur footage, light entertainment, and a significant proportion of broadcast material from the UTV Archive.

Shane's Castle


Share in a rarely realised dream, as railway buff Lord O'Neill creates his own steam railway.

See the ancient seat of the O'Neill's; the powerful Irish clan associated with the red hand of Ulster. A fire in 1816 reduced the castle to the ruins you see in this film. Lord O'Neill opened the estate as an attraction starring this narrow gauge railway from 1971 until it closed in 1995. It was pieced together from rescued steam and diesel locomotives along with ex-Donegal Railways railcars and Belgian trams. Archie Reid captures both on glorious sunny day at Shane's Castle.

Lord O'Neill is an avid collector and president of the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. His love of trains began during World War II in a London bomb shelter. The shelter was owned by a member of the Model Engineering Society who would give him their journal to read. A lifelong passion blossomed from this kind distraction from the air raids.


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