Ballyglunin railway station, better known as the Quiet Man station, has been awarded €100,000 to develop the area as a visitor attraction.
The money for development of the Quiet Man station was awarded under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Local activists have been working on restoring Ballyglunin Train Station to its former glory as a local tourist attraction since 2004.
A charity was officially formed towards this effort in 2012, and the next year planning permission was received from the county council for restoration works.
Progress has taken a number of years due to the historical nature of the site and because the efforts are voluntary led with the majority of funding provided by donations.
Galway East TD and Minister of State for Community Affairs Seán Canney said that he was delighted that Ballyglunin has received funding from his department.
A spokesperson for the restoration efforts said that they are incredibly grateful for the endorsement of their work inherent in this funding.
The station’s main claim to fame is from the 1952 John Ford film The Quiet Man which shot its opening scene of John Wayne arriving back home in his character’s native Ireland after time away in America there.
Significant work has already been achieved in this project including restoring the old signal tower and store house at the station.
Work has also been underway on the main station itself this year to develop community facilities, which hopefully this funding will go a long way towards helping achieve.
In total €15 million in funding for 156 rural towns and villages around the country was announced by Minister Michael Ring for the Town and Village Renewal Scheme this year.
