The project interweaves history, folklore, hearsay, stories, memory, beliefs, nature and natural history, in an attempt to record the patina and texture of place. For further information see https://sites.google.com/site/cucuart/story-of-midland-lár-tíre

In 2012-13 I cycled 920 km visiting most of the stations along the route of the former Midland and Great Western Railway (MGWR). My route began in Broadstone, where the headquarters of the MGWR was located. The route branched out at various locations to its final destinations in Kingscourt, Athboy, Edenderry, Clara, Cavan, Killeshandra, Sligo, Ballaghadereen, Loughrea, Ballinrobe, Killala, Westport Quay, Achill and Cliftan. I documented and explored the outline of the route while absorbing the histories, environment and social nuances of the locale. I met, photographed, interviewed and recorded current and former workers, as well as current inhabitants of former stations. These individuals form a disparate, yet homogeneous, group of people with varying degrees of enthusiasm for the past and the rich history associated with the railway network over the past 150 years. While the project uses the network to explore the MGWR, it is not just about the railway. It encapsulates a period when the railway meant freedom and mobility for the population of an area. People had access to other parts of the country, had improved communications, commerce, leisure activities and employment. Railways improved mobility and access to towns across the midlands and the west. In this project I explore those towns and meet the people for whom the railway played such an important part in their lives.