The pupils of Moat Primary School, Lisnaskea recently launched their book 'Life on the Railway' with a special celebratory event at the school.

An intergenerational project, the book was created by the pupils, who were tasked with gathering stories and interviewing grandparents and locals who had travelled on the Great Northern Railway (GNR) through Lisnaskea.These reminisces were recorded and transcribed by the pupils and their parents which were then compiled into a book for publication. The project was funded by Uniting Generations Peace IV along with support and guidance provided by Mairead Mohan from Monaghan County Council.

Taking place on the morning of Thursday November 29, the launch event was compèred by P7 pupil Rebecca Read and featured various performances from pupils of each year group. Railway themed songs including 'I’ve been working on the Railroad' and 'Morningtown Ride' were sang by pupils as well as a performance of the Robert Louis Stevenson poem 'From a Railway Carriage.'

Extracts from the book were read by Dara Mullarkey, Abbie Walmsley, Emma McElwaine, Alex Humphreys, Harry Jordan and Emma Bullock.

Names of local GNR stations had been hand crafted and positioned around the walls of the hall for the event. A beautiful cake, appropriately iced with the GNR emblem, was baked by classroom assistant Mrs. Rosemary Frazer for the special occasion. Memorabilia lent from the Enniskillen Railway Museum was also on display.

The book was officially launched by special guest Mr. Charles Friel, a noted authority on the railways who has contributed to many publications on the subject. Born in Enniskillen, Mr. Friel lived close to the station there and used to watch the trains travel from Enniskillen towards Lisnaskea, Newtownbutler and Clones and back. As he spoke at the event, his memories of the railways in Fermanagh came alive. During his speech, Mr. Friel divulged that he generally reads books about trains and carriages but that 'Life on the Railway' is about the lives of the real people who worked on the Great Northern Railway.

The book launch was well-attended by interviewees and family members of the pupils. All those who were involved in the making of 'Life on the Railway' were presented with a copy of the book.