The Burtonport Extension & Its People

A documentary film by Arthur Lynch about the Burtonport extension, a railway line built between 1900 and 1903. It was initially intended to help the people in West Donegal get goods and services in and out of that area with some ease. Transporting fish from Burtonport which was a major port at that time was also a priority for the government. But most of all it connected the people of the west with the rest of Donegal.

DVD also available for sale. Please contact Arthur to place your order: arthurlynchweddings@gmail.com

About Arthur:
Arthur Lynch was born in the townland of Leathardan, four miles north of Rathmullan. He went to St Garvan's NS in Drumhalla and after that to Loreto Convent in Milford where he was one of the first batch of children to avail of free education. His father was a man who "raked" most nights and he brought him along with him - this is probably where he acquired the love of local history and lore.

He married Ann in 1977 and worked in the building trade most of his life. Arthur joined the Rathmullan and District Local History Society and took part in many enjoyable activities, such as talks, poetry nights and he did some videos on local people and events. He has a business that does wedding videos and covers some other events as well. Arthur also converts old analog videos to digital form.

Over the years Arthur has recorded a lot of people talking about their lives, very often these are quite ordinary lives but, as he says, “I know that in fifty years or more from now these stories might seem strange and interesting to a lot of people not least their descendants. I always say hearing it first hand is so much better than someone trying to describe something they themselves did not experience”.