For much of the 19th century, before the arrival of the motor car the jaunting car was a familiar sight on Irish roads. It carried people and parcels from city streets to rural lanes across the country. Today, it survives most visibly in Killarney, County Kerry, where it continues to operate as a working link to Ireland’s transport past. The name itself is rooted in everyday language, where a “jaunt” meant a short journey or excursion. The jaunting car emerged in the early 19th century, with references placing its development in Dublin around 1813. It quickly became one of Ireland’s most practical and widely used forms of horse-drawn transport.
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CORE DESIGN
At its core, the jaunting car was a simple but effective design, refined over time for comfort and durability. It featured two longitudinal seats positioned back to back, with a central “well” used for luggage and parcels. Footboards were mounted outside the wheels for passengers that could be folded upward when not in use, reducing the overall width on narrow country roads. The car was typically drawn by a single horse , while the driver sat on a raised box seat at the front. Early versions were basic and often built without springs. Later models introduced long, curved suspension springs to improve ride quality on rough roads.
CAR TYPES
Over time, several variations of the jaunting car developed, each suited to different uses:
Outside Car: the outside car is the most common form. Passengers sit back to back with their backs to a central “well” used for luggage, while their feet rest outward on footboards over the wheels.
Inside Car: the inside car is a more genteel alternative. Passengers sit facing each other with their feet tucked inside the wheels. In cities such as Cork, this type was often built as a covered two wheeled carriage, with passengers seated face to face in a style similar to a wagonette.
Covered Car or Jingle: the covered car, or “jingle”, is an inside car fitted with an oiled canvas roof and sides. It served as an early form of protected hackney cab.
Bianconi or Long Car: the Bianconi, or long car, is a larger four wheeled development of the outside car. It was built to carry between 6 and 10 passengers. It was introduced by Charles Bianconi in the early 19th century as part of a mass transport system connecting areas not served by stagecoaches.
Jaunting Wagon: the jaunting wagon is a variation of the long car. It was used particularly for tourism in the late 19th century, including in the United States.
KILLARNEY LEGACY
By the mid to late 19th century, jaunting cars were central to daily life across Ireland. They operated as both private hire vehicles and informal public transport, bridging gaps in the developing transport network. Their decline began in the early 20th century, as motor vehicles gradually replaced horse drawn transport.
In Killarney, however, the tradition endured. It was strengthened following the visit of Queen Victoria who travelled to Killarney by Royal train from Dublin, arriving on the evening of Monday August 26 1861 and during her visit she and her party used jaunting cars to tour the countryside, travelling between Killarney House, Muckross House and the surrounding lakes
From 1865, Eugene Tangney, Head Game Keeper at Muckross Estate, used jaunting cars to transport visitors around Killarney. His successor, Dan Tangney (born 1908), continued this work until a shooting accident in 1957 led him to focus solely on the jaunting car trade.
In the 1960s, the arrival frequent trains from Dublin increased visitor numbers and Michael Tangney Senior expanded operations, introducing commercial services and developing routes to Muckross, Dinis Cottage and Ross Castle.
By the 1980s, rising demand led to the evolution from traditional two wheeled cars to larger four wheeled versions. From 2010, covered carriages were introduced, enabling year round operation, with the tradition continuing today under Laura Tangney.
POPULAR CULTURE
The “Irish Jaunting Car” has been celebrated in folk songs and featured in the works of writers including James Joyce. It also appeared prominently in the film The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara.
The jaunting car used in The Quiet Man has been preserved, fulfilling one of Maureen O’Hara’s final wishes. The carriage, which featured in scenes filmed in Cong, Co. Mayo, had been missing for decades before being rediscovered in storage at her former home in Glengarriff, Co. Cork. Dating back over 100 years, it has since been carefully preserved and relocated to the John Wayne Birthplace Museum.
More than a tourist attraction, the jaunting car remains a working piece of Irish transport history. It offers a direct connection to how people travelled, worked and experienced the Irish landscape in the 19th century and continues to carry that story forward today.
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Sources of Information, Photo, Video & Music Credits:
All music and sound effects used in Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport are royalty free and are fully licensed through Epidemic Sound. Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport therefore holds the legal right to use this audio material within its productions under the terms of the Epidemic Sound licensing agreement.
“The Irish Jaunting Car” – 1860s Carte de Visite Photograph (sunnybrook100 – Flickr)
Hollywood Irish by Adrian Frazier, Lilliput Press, courtesy Republic Pictures
Irish Central
Killarney Jaunting Cars website
Volume V05, Page 297 of the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica
Wiki
