Welcome to Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport, founded in 2018 by Kevin Reid to celebrate Ireland’s rich transport heritage.

From childhood, I was fascinated by countries that made things. My banana-seat bikes had “Czechoslovakian Made” stickers, my friend’s Schwinn Stingray was “Made in the USA,” and my father’s Raleigh Hercules was “Made in the Republic of Ireland.” These small badges and stickers made me wonder: why weren’t there more things labelled “Ireland Made”?

As a teenager in the 1980s, my enthusiasm was further fuelled by long-distance motorcycle trips across Ireland and Europe deepening my love for transport. Riding pillion on my father’s Jawa 350 and Suzuki GS850, while my brother rode pillion with our mother on her Honda CB250 and Yamaha XS400,

Meeting Martina from County Leitrim, now my wife, ignited a shared passion for mechanics. In 2018, we launched Leitrim Made, a small website showcasing local engineering in northwest Ireland. Then, in 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, we evolved into Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport and Martina and I continue to work together bringing you our weekly Irish transport stories.

To date we have had credible collaborations with: An Garda Siochána, Commissioners for Irish Lights, Hibra Design, Irish Cement, Irish Defence Forces (Transport Corps & Aer Corps), Medaza Cycles, Royal Enfield, Ryanair and Waterford Harley Davidson.

Also collaborations with Museums & Archives: Capuchin Archives, Cashel Folk Village, Coolakay Agricultural Museum, Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, Guinness Archives, Glenview Folk Museum, Kilgarvan Motor Museum, Maria Edgeworth Centre, the Curragh Museum, the National Transport Museum, Railway Preservation Society of Ireland, Shannon Aviation Museum and Waterford Civic Trust.

Each week, Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport features two new videos (7:00 am Tuesday and Friday mornings) on all aspects of Irish transportation—land, sea, and air—with Sunday evening previews of our upcoming stories. If it has an Irish connection, you’ll find it here.

Please enjoy our stories.

Best regards