Great Southern Road

The Great Southern Railways (GSR) was an Irish company that from 1924 until 1945 owned and operated most of the railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State (the present-day Republic of Ireland). The period was difficult with rising operating costs and static to failing income. The early part of the period was soon after infrastructure losses of the Irish Civil War. The Emergency or Second World War at the end of the period saw shortages of coal and raw materials with increased freight traffic and restricted passenger traffic.