Ride the rails of the Orient Express...in Galway.

It’s historic, it’s authentic and it’s one of the secret gems of Galway. Tucked away behind Glenlo Abbey, completely at home on rails below the house you’ll find the Pullman Restaurant. It’s made up of two of the original carriages of the Orient Express, that ran so grandly from Paris to Istanbuhl in the 1930’s.

One is called Leona and one is called Linda and they are perfectly restored to their original grandeur yet they’ve taken on a new career.

The restaurant is living history and offers anyone who eats there a journey back in time and a gourmet meal. The soundtrack of 1930’s classics and the constant clacking of the rails lulls you into your journey. The upholstery, the dining booths, the fully restored carriages even the table settings are a throwback to the 1930’s and the grand journeys these carriages made.

Every seat is special, but if you are into the history you can ask for seating named for Agatha Christy and for Hercule Poirot. You see, Leona was the carriage used for the filming of Murder on the Orient Express before she landed at Glenlo Abbey.

And Vito is on hand to offer other anecdotes including the Orient Express’s journey through time, and how these cars carried celebrities including Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir Winston Churchill. Learn all about it in Episode 28 of Erin’s Isle. Just click on the audio bar at the top of this page.