Stories of Irish transport past and present | Season 1 – Episode 100

Since we produced our first video-blog in February 2021 featuring Alan Sweeney’s lovely teardrop caravan from Co Leitrim, we have produced video-blogs with individual enthusiasts and collectors across the island along with numerous vintage associations, Guinness Archive, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, Arklow Maritime Museum, Carlow County Museum, Cavan & Leitrim Railway Museum, Clare County Museum, County Museum, Dundalk, Dromod Transport Museum, Foynes Flying Boat and Maritime Museum, Glenview Folk Museum, Irish Aviation Museum, Kilgarvan Motor Museum and the West Clare Railway Museum.

Here is a sample selection from across our 100 stories from Season 1:

1. Antrim – Norman Surplus the first man to circumnavigate the world in an Autogyro.
2. Carlow – Turf barges built by Thompson Engineering during WW2 to transport turf to Dublin, the Ford Mk 6 armoured car built by Thompson Engineering.
3. Cavan – exciting track day at Hut Cross Rallycross track.
4. Clare – Irish presidential 1947 Dodge D24 limousine, John Philip Holland inventor of the modern submarine.
5. Cork – SS Sirus first steam ship to cross the Atlantic captained by a Corkman, Ger Conlon master bike painter and builder, Safehaven Marine 48 Interceptor takes on heavy seas, Cortinas built by Ford in Cork, Guinness Wheelie World Record Holder Ted Brady.
6. Derry/ Londonderry – teardrop camper hand built by Irish Rover Campers.
7. Donegal – Father & son restored Ferguson TE20 tractor, ATW CHICO 4×4 built in Donegal in the 1980s, Ford Anglia owned twice by Paddy Morgan.
8. Down – 74 years of motoring with Virgina Hardy, master curragh and coracle builder Bruce Crawford, Bernard Lynch ejection seat tester, Harry Ferguson inventor of the P99, the first AWD front engine car to win an F1 race.
9. Dublin – Mercedes cars touring the Georgian quarter of Dublin, The Berserker-2 Harley Davidson custom, John Furlong talks DUKWs and Dodges, Porsche (speed) vs Volvo (comfort), Rolls Royce Wraith Hearse travel in style, Morris Minor assembled in Dublin, the Guinness Archive and their steam, petrol, diesel and electric trucks, Guinness barges, a restored hearse kept in dry storage for 44 years and the Alloutte helicopter serving the Aer Corps for 50 years.
10. Galway – track day with roaring buggies, Shane McGann making a great track recovery.
11. Kerry – restored Model T Ford at the Kilgarvan Motor Museum.
12. Kildare – Sliverstream car built by Philip T. Somerville-Large in 1907 to better the Rolls Royce.
13. Laois – extended Land Rover 6×4 with tipper body, UAZ 452 sets 2020 Guinness World Record in Russia.
14. Leitrim – Teardrop camper (the first ever video-story on Ireland Made), Spika Electric sports cars, to be built in Leitrim, Murray ride-on lawn mower converted into mini tractor and trailer, Cavan & Leitrim Railway restored railway pump trolley, homemade submarine built in a Plumbers Yard, race-wining Soap Box and skilful driver, Glenview Folk Museum and their 1953 Lanchester LJ200, seaplane taking off from the River Shannon at sunset.
15. Limerick – Steam paddle steamers on the River Shannon, Lady Mary Heath pilot, parachutist and mechanic who flew from Cape Town to Croydon, Panhard cars on a Sunday run to Castle Oliver, worlds only recreation of Boeing 314 Clipper.
16. Louth – Heinkel Kabine Bubble car built in Dundalk, Sylva Debutante 14 classic caravan built in same factory as the bubble car.
17. Mayo  – Louis Brennan’s award winning unique gyroscope train with 22 mph top speed.
18. Westmeath – 1965 Volvo Amazon 122s on enjoying the sun on Bettystown Beach.
19. Offaly – Charles Parson’s Turbinia with it’s 34.5 knots top speed.
20. Wicklow – Phillips ‘Red Knight’ child’s tricycle reanimated, AVA Studio electric Ferrari 308, Tyrrell Brothers building new landing craft and refurbishing the Barrow Princess.

Our most popular transport story to date has been the Boeing ‘Clipper’ Flying boat from Foynes, Co Limerick with 98,000 views to date on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_YRt…

We recently launched our new Ireland Made website www.irelandmade.ie and in the coming weeks we will be uploading our entire video back-catalogue. Check out the shop for our eclectic collection of downloadable transport prints.

In other news we’ve agreed a monthly syndication with the influential New York based ‘Irish Central’ website to share our video stories with their large American audience. Coming soon our new ‘Talk the Talk’ podcast where Ireland Made founder Kevin Reid will discuss automotive technology with a soon to be announced co-host who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from the world of Formula 1, road-going automotive, IC and EV powertrain engineering and high-performance vehicle design. More details coming soon.

Ireland Made continues to grow and as we enter Season 2 we have 139 storylines from 27 transport sectors on our schedule with additional stories coming daily. Aside from the upcoming podcast and the bi-weekly posts on the website, we will be posting our stories on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Please contact us on [email protected] if you would like to share your transport story on Ireland Made. With your contribution we are keeping alive the stories of Irish transport past and present.

Keep watching Ireland Made!

Best regards

Kevin Reid

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• Celebrating stories of Irish transport past and present

Written By:

Kevin Reid

Ireland Made®, established by Kevin Reid, is committed to preserving Irish transport heritage with twice weekly stories of transport past and present. If it has wings, wheels or it floats and has a connection to Ireland you will find it here.

Worldreach PR

Worldreach in collaboration with Ireland Made celebrates Irish transport past and present. We provide social media and international media relations, communications and advice for world record and other automotive, aviation, cycling & environmental events.