William Richard Le Fanu facts for kids

William Richard Le Fanu (born February 24, 1816 – died September 8, 1894) was an important Irish railway engineer. He helped build many train lines and also worked as a Commissioner of Public Works. This meant he helped manage big building projects for the government. Le Fanu was born in Dublin, Ireland, into a family known for writing. His family had roots in Huguenot, Irish, and English history.

About William Le Fanu's Life

William Le Fanu was born in Dublin and later studied at Trinity College Dublin. He learned his engineering skills by training under a famous engineer named Sir John Benjamin Macneill. William then became Macneill's assistant.

His most important work involved building railways across Ireland. In 1846, he became the engineer in charge of finishing the Cork railway terminal. This was a major train station. Later, he took over from Macneill as the main expert engineer for the railway company. He oversaw the building of new train lines to places like Roscrea, Parsonstown, and Nenagh.

In 1863, Le Fanu joined the Board of Public Works. This board was responsible for large public building projects. He first served as the deputy chairman and later became the chairman.

Key Railway Projects

William Le Fanu worked on several important railway projects in Ireland. These projects helped connect different parts of the country by train.

• Cork railway terminal
• Knocknadundarragh viaduct, Borris, County Carlow
• Cahir railway viaduct