In June 1951, John Ford's wonderful Irish tale The Quiet Man (1952) was shot on location in the west of Ireland (in County Mayo and County Galway). One of the locations used in the film was the Ballyglunin railway station, situated in County Galway. The train station, which was named "Castletown" for the film, was used in two scenes, i.e. the opening scene where John Wayne arrives at the station by train, and the scene where Maureen O'Hara wants to leave by train but is then dragged off by John Wayne to get her dowry from her brother.
Today the pittoresque Ballyglunin railway station is in a state of dilapidation. The Ballyglunin Railway Restoration Project, established ten years ago, has therefore made it its mission to restore the station to its former splendour. Irish-born Maureen O'Hara supports their cause, and to get people to sponsor the restoration she wrote a letter of endorsement in March of last year. Her letter is shown below and if you'd wish to read more about the restoration and/or contribute to the cause, click here.
Source letter: the quiet man train station
Transcript:
March 2013
The wonderful Ballyglunin Railway Station is one of those special locations used in The Quiet Man that helped bring the cozy village of Innisfree to life. John Ford loved the name 'Castletown' used for the station and I can still remember sitting in the last carriage of that grand old steam train waiting for John Wayne to come and save me. I hope everyone will join the cause and help save the Ballyglunin Railway Station. It truly is part of Ireland's great cinematic history.
Maureen O'Hara (signed)
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| June 1951, location shooting at the Ballyglunin railway station |
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