1893 – Corrib Viaduct, Galway

In the 1890s, the Midland Great Western Railway Company was provided with a government grant of £264,000 to build a line from Galway across Connemara to Clifden. The line was opened to Clifden on 1st of July 1895 and cost £432,000, or £9,000 per mile.There were over 30 bridges, including this imposing steel viaduct, which crossed the River Corrib in Galway. The bridge was of three 150ft spans with a bascule type lifting navigation span of 21 ft. Never particularly successful, the route forced on the railway company did not attract much freight, the line was closed in April 1935. The metalwork of the bridge dismantled. Today only the piers remain of the viaduct.