Coaches, trains, cars and buses
In the 1700s if you were to travel from Cavan to Dublin you would have taken a stagecoach. According to reports from that time a trip from Cavan to Dublin took two days in summer and three days in winter. Post arrived in Cavan from Dublin just twice a week. Towards the end of the 1700s the Government wanted to improve the speed of communications. Special mail coaches were introduced and by 1812 mail arrived daily.
The stagecoach disappeared from the roads with the arrival of the railway. The first train to leave Cavan for Dublin departed on 8th July, 1856. Many people turned out to witness the historic occassion.
Pearse Street, Cavan
A view of Pearse Street in Cavan town dating from the middle of the 20th century.
© National Library of IrelandPearse Street, Cavan
© National Library of Ireland
© National Library of Ireland
Pearse Street, Cavan
A view of Pearse Street in Cavan town dating from the middle of the 20th century.
© National Library of IrelandThe end of the 19th century saw the first motor cars being introduced to the county. The first person to own a motor car was Dr. T.H. Moorehead of Cootehill. The first motorists drew onlookers wherever they went and it wasn't until about 1916 that cars were a common sight. The first motor lorry in the county was owned by the Gordon and Richmond business in Cavan town.
A rival to the train as the preferred method of long distance travel emerged in 1925. A Mr. Gordan of Farnham Street in Cavan began operating a bus service. In those days "long distance" was any journey over forty miles. The bus travelled from Cavan to Dublin and back again twice daily. The buses were staffed by uniformed drivers and conductors.