In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this area was characterised by rivalries between railway companies, often resulting in more than one railway station, each under different ownership, being constructed in a single small village (the village of Collooney had three). As in other areas of Ireland, a mix of narrow and broad gauge lines criss-crossed the countryside and the last operational narrow gauge railway in Ireland, the West Clare Railway, ran here until 1961.