Tipperary people put their skates back on for return of popular train trip to ice rink

After a two-year absence due to Covid-19, the popular Limerick on Ice train trips run by North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership have once again got their skates on.

The partnership organised two fun-filled days out to the rink in Limerick, with a total of 61 travelling from Cloughjordan and 117 taking the train from Nenagh over the New Year holidays.

Elaine Baker, who organised the trip for Cloughjordan skaters and non-skaters described the day as “great”

She said it had been possible to revive the event after Covid because people had memories of it from previous trips.

They now hope to build on the numbers from Cloughjordan for further days out, with Ms Baker saying it would be great to build on that tradition.

Ms Baker said that Irish Rail had “supported us all the way” and had provided a third carriage on the return journey on January 4 to cater for commuters coming back out from Limerick.

She described the annual trips as a “good way of exposing the train to people” and said that it would be nice to organise other events, perhaps in the summer.

Louise Morgan Walsh, who took charge of organising the event from Nenagh, said the excitement around the trip had been “unreal” and it had been a “fantastic day out”, with many children travelling on the train for the first time.

She hadn’t expected such large numbers but Limerick on Ice had come up trumps by allowing them have two hourly slots on the rink.

“It was great value at €6 on the train and a reduction of €6 from Limerick on Ice, who brought the ticket price down to €12,” she said.

People had already asked her about going again next year, and she was delighted to see such a community day out with grannies bringing grandchildren.

Louise was also delighted with Irish Rail putting on an extra carriage for their return trip on January 3, and had special praise for conductor Mike O’Regan who had helped do the head count to allow Limerick on Ice to have the correct numbers ahead of their arrival.

“Irish Rail were so accommodating,” she said.