Early Public Transport

An observer in August 1794 recorded the number of visitors to Leixlip in one day:

Leixlip August 1794: Record of Visitors in one day

Until the arrival of mass transport in the shape of the railway and the steam tram, only the rich could afford to travel by vehicle.

Most ordinary people worked from morning until nighttime, six days a week, with only Christmas off, and so had neither the money nor the time to travel.

Bianconi - a portrait.

Charles Bianconi revolutionised public transport in Ireland with the use of horses and carriages. He established a network of routes, which eventually covered most of the country from Belfast to Cork.

© Taken from Charles Bianconi - A Biography by Mrs Morgan John O'Connell

Bianconi - a portrait.
© Taken from Charles Bianconi - A Biography by Mrs Morgan John O'Connell

Bianconi - a portrait.

Charles Bianconi revolutionised public transport in Ireland with the use of horses and carriages. He established a network of routes, which eventually covered most of the country from Belfast to Cork.

© Taken from Charles Bianconi - A Biography by Mrs Morgan John O'Connell

Enlarge image

Charles Bianconi revolutionised public transport in Ireland, by the use of horses and carriages.
He established a network of routes, which eventually covered most of the country from Belfast to Cork.
The Waterford Mirror in an article dated January 4th 1834 described how Bianconi was "respected and applauded by the rich and beloved and blessed by the poor". He left his native Italy aged fifteen years and eventually became "one of the most influential inhabitants of Clonmel"

There were many different types of carriage used in this period. Try the activity below to see if you can help me identify the different types.