John Macneill, the engineer who designed much of Ireland’s rail network was a native of County Louth, Ireland. Carlow Railway Station and Cork Railway Tunnel are just two of the many projects designed by Macneill, which are still in use today. He was also responsible for several engineering projects in England and Scotland
John Benjamin Macneill was born in Mountpleasant Dundalk County Louth, Ireland in 1793. He initially joined the army but in 1815 at the age of 22 he decided to train as a civil engineer. Engineer and architect Alexander Nimmo (builder of Knightstown on Valentia Island) employed Macneill to help carry out a survey of the Irish coast. Macneill was later involved in road building around his native Dundalk.
In the early 1820’s Macneill moved to England where he was employed by Thomas Telford building roads and other infrastructure. He worked on building the road from London to Holyhead eventually becoming the Engineer-in-Chief on the road. Working on the same project was Carlow engineer William Dargan. Dargan and Macneill would later return to their native country to work on the building of the Irish rail network.
John Macneill was recruited by the Irish Railway Commission and returned to Ireland in 1837. He was appointed engineer on the Dublin to Carlow and Kilkenny railway line. In 1840 he was appointed engineer on the Dublin and Drogheda Railway. The building of this railway included the construction of the 30m high Boyne Viaduct. He also built what has become known as Macneill’s Egyptian Arch near Newry in County Armagh. Over the following decades over 1,300km of railway lines were constructed all over Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin established a School of Engineering and Macneill was appointed as the first professor of engineering there in 1842. He held the post for ten years. Macneill established a flax-manufacturing factory but it was destroyed in a fire in 1857. The fire together with falling income from investments in railway shares meant Macneill became impoverished. He moved to London to live with his son where he died blind and destitute.
John Macneill, who engineered a large part of the railway network which is still in use in Ireland today, died in the year 1880 On This Day.
Photo by infomatique 
The Boyne Viaduct – Drogheda
Egyptian Arch, Newry, Co. Down, circa 1905