New plaque is unveiled at Thurles Railway Station to remember train driver Matthew Wakefield

On a crisp, cold November morning a thoughtful, memorable ceremony took place at Thurles Railway Station. 

The Cork to Dublin train stopped, passengers came and went, and the train moved on.

Those who remained on the platform were there for a ceremony to remember a former train driver,  Matthew Wakefield from Cork, who died tragically in an accident at Thurles Railway Station in 1913. 

When he passed away - at just 42 years of age - he left a wife and nine children behind in a turbulent Ireland. 

One hundred years after his passing there was a piece about Matthew in the Tipperary Star newspaper which was spotted by Mai Berkery (née Delaney) and Mai, who is a great-granddaughter of the deceased, set about researching the incident.

With the assistance of ‘The Railway Records Society’ the official contemporary report of the accident was unearthed. A small cross was at the station for decades until last Wednesday morning, in the month of the Holy Souls, when a new plaque was unveiled at the Station.

The Chairman of the CIÉ group of companies, Dr Frank Allen unveiled, and the Arch-Bishop of Cashel and Emly, Dr Kieran O’Reilly blessed a plaque in memory of Matthew Wakefield. The ceremony was attended by members of the extended Wakefield family.

Academic Tadhg Ó Dúshláine is a relation, and he said: “Life is about people who live ordinary lives. Those who bequeath to us values of integrity, an honest day’s work and so on. My great-grandfather died here but the great thing was the company looked after the family from then on.

“Three generations later, some of the family are still working in the railway. Ordinary people who inherited values, like doing an honest day’s work and looking after your family. ” he said.

The plaque replaces the little cross that stood on the platform for over 100 yrs, but, outside of the extended Wakefield family, its significance had been forgotten.

Iarnród Éireann responded positively to representations from the family to erect a plaque to replace the little cross and Mr Conor Murphy - a retired engineering pattern-maker with Iarnród Éireann - was commissioned to create the new piece.

Last Wednesday morning, following some beautiful words, the original cross was presented to Mr Brian Wakefield who is a great-grandson of Matthew Wakefield. Aptly enough, Brian is a train driver himself.

At the ceremony Dr. Frank Allen unveiled the plaque and said it was a memorable day for all present: “At Iarnród Éireann one of our values is to value our people and there is nothing more important than to protect colleagues at work.

“When Matthew Wakefield came to work here on the 20th of March 1913 he was not protected and I think it is very appropriate for all of us to remember that tragic occasion and to remind us that we have that responsibility,” he said.