Chugging Along at an Irish Pace: Percy French vs. The West Clare Railway

Ah, the joys of Irish public transport—where the schedules are more of a polite suggestion than a binding contract. Few understood this better than Percy French, the much-loved Irish songwriter, poet, and all-around wit, who in 1896 found himself at the mercy of the West Clare Railway. What followed was a tale so classically Irish that it deserves a fresh telling.

French, booked to perform in Kilkee, took the train from Ennis with the innocent belief that he might actually arrive on time. Alas, the locomotive had other ideas. The West Clare Railway, infamous for its leisurely pace, huffed and puffed its way along the line before finally wheezing to a halt miles from its destination. Whether it was a cow on the tracks, a spot of mechanical contemplation, or simply the train deciding it had done enough for one day, French never made it to his performance. The audience was left disappointed, and French was left out of pocket.

Not one to take such things lying down, he sued the railway for loss of earnings. The court case itself became something of a farce, with the railway company attempting to argue that its service was merely ‘subject to delays.’ But the judge, having likely experienced the West Clare’s scenic yet slothful service himself, ruled in French’s favour, awarding him a princely £10 in damages.

However, the real victory came not in the courtroom but in song. With his razor-sharp wit, French immortalized the railway’s less-than-stellar performance in the now-famous tune Are Ye Right There Michael? The lyrics paint a picture of a train journey so slow that one could hop out, pick a few daisies, and still have time to climb back aboard:

"You may talk of Columbus's sailing
Across the Atlantical sea,
But he never tried to go railing
From Ennis as far as Kilkee."

In fact, the railway was so embarrassed by the whole affair that when French returned years later, they reportedly did their best to ensure that his train ran on time, lest they end up in another verse!

But the West Clare Railway wasn’t quite ready to leave things be. Stung by the song’s popularity and their newfound reputation as Ireland’s slowest train, they took French to court for libel, arguing that his lyrics had damaged their good name. However, the judge, no doubt enjoying the absurdity of the case, dismissed the lawsuit with a wry remark: “You can’t libel the West Clare Railway—it does that all by itself!”

So, if you ever find yourself stuck behind a slow-moving tractor on an Irish country road, take heart—it could be worse. You could be waiting for the West Clare Railway! And if you’re lucky, you might just be inspired to write a song about it too.

Thankfully our trains now run on time in Ireland and at CorkWest we've seen a growing number of clients take the train from Dublin to Cork or Kerry and enjoy Day Tours or multi-day tours along the stunning south and west coast! A great way to get the most out of your time in Ireland.