The coming of the railway to Killarney in 1853 was of great benefit to the the tourism industry in Kerry and actively promoted by the railway companies. When the Butler Arms opened in 1884 it not only benefited from the arrival of cable from the USA but nine years later the railway was extended to Cahersiveen and Renard Point opposite Valentia Island. The Huggard family who owned the hotel expanded along the railway lines and came to own the Royal Hotel in Valentia, The Caragh Lake Hotel, and the Lake Hotel in Killarney. The building illustrated still exists but has been extended to the rear.
