Posts of an historical nature
Not something I’d tend to hang out on – I have better things to do with my life.
However, Google gave me a link to this post on Irish Rail’s blog, which is a brief overview of a Civil War shooting near Mallow Station in Co. Cork.
Youtube directed me towards this short video on the Dublin City Libraries YouTube channel about the Iveagh Trust Buildings in Dublin.
Although dating from 2009, it is as relevant today as it was then.
RTE Archives have an historical report from 1965 about the old bridge between Cork and Waterford east of Youghal.
Whilst searching on Google for something else, I was given this link to Hansard (record of the Houses of Parliament in the UK) which is a question about the level crossing at Clones railway station, allegedly from 1950.
Clearly this is wrong as the UK Board of Trade would have had zero authority over a level crossing in the Republic of Ireland at that date.
Update – I have found a listing of the Presidents of the Board of Trade and based on the information therein and the reference in the link above to Mr. Ritchie holding that title, the date range for this query is 29 June 1895 to 7 November 1900, being the period that Mr. Ritchie held that position.
I came upon an entry in the NIAH database for 10 Euston Street, Greenore, which included the following statement:
” Built for the workers of the Great Northern Railway, which was completed in 1873″.
As the site includes an option to email suggested amendments, I did so, pointing out that the houses were built for the Dundalk Newry and Greenore Railway. I received the following response:
” Our records suggest that the workers’ houses on the east side of Euston Street were completed in 1872, which, strictly speaking, means that they were built by the Dundalk and Greenore Railway (D&GR) Company. The company was renamed a year later to include Newry in the title. “
Point taken and in fairness to the NIAH, they have advised that they will be amending the record in due course to remove reference to the Great Northern Railway.
RTE randomly provided this archive clip of the closure of Mullingar signal cabin in 2005 on their site today.
H/T to my brother for bringing to my attention the existence online of the Irish Travel journal – a series produced in the early years of the Free State.
One such snippet that is relevant to this site is the use of the filled in Broadstone branch of the Royal Canal as a designated car parking lot during the Eucharist Congress held in 1932.
The journals can be downloaded at https://arrow.tudublin.ie/irtourjap/10/. The information in question is in the June 1932 edition.
Another article in the Irish Examiner’s series on the islands of Ireland – this one covers Dinish Island in Co. Cork, which was developed as a centre for fish processing.
Many decades ago, the playwright Brendan Behan was employed by the Commissioners of Irish Lights – the all Ireland body responsible for lighthouses – as a painter. This was a role he didn’t appear to be good at – the keeper of St. John’s Point lighthouse in Co. Down writing to Head Office to complain about Behan’s work ethic (or lack of!).
Many years ago, the IHAI visited the lighthouse museum at the Bailey lighthouse on Howth Head and the original letter is on display there.
Behan is long dead (1964) so he is unavailable to respond to the Commissioners’ tender request for lighthouse painting services.