Brush up on your history at two Kildare train stations

Kildare commuters can now enjoy tales from the past as they wait for their train in Athy Train Station and Naas/ Sallins with Irish Rail's new 'Past Tracks' panels.

Irish Rail together with Historian Turtle Bunbury and Flahavan’s foods, have installed the illustrated panels at both railway stations as part of its ‘Past Tracks’ series, which tell fascinating stories about historical events that occurred in the areas.

As rail customers wait for their train or to pick up a loved one, in Athy they can learn all about the Scottish invasion of Athy 700 years ago, famous explorer Ernest Shackleton’s links to the area, the origins of the ape on the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster’s coat of arms and many other intriguing stories about the history of the town.

In Sallins, they can learn all about Sallins native John Cliffe Watts, who was born in the town in 1785. He trained as an architect and worked as a banker before joining the British army. He later moved to Australia, where he designed a new military hospital for Sydney, ran South Australia’s postal service for 20 years and co-founded the Aborigine’s Friends Association.

Ten stations around the country now have ‘Past Track’ panels, which feature quirky and accessible information about the areas surrounding the stations.