SNIPPET: Stage coach travel in Ireland began its golden age in the 18th century. There was a good road system and routes generally radiated to and from Dublin. By 1737 there were regular services from the capital to Drogheda, Kilkenny, Kinnegad and Athlone. The first permanent Dublin-Belfast route, running 2-3 days a week, was established in 1788, bringing the number of provincial centers linked by stage to Dublin up to twelve. From 1789, the Post Office awarded mail contracts to coaching firms. By 1834 there were 28 mail coach lines, with 40 coaches, operating out of Dublin. Fresh teams of horses were introduced at stages, usually at coaching inns. Journey times improved. In the 1840s the Dublin-Cork mail coach took 18 hours and Dublin-Belfast 12. A century earlier, a Dublin-Belfast winter journey took three days. Up to a dozen passengers traveled inside and eight on top! Often, if the coach broke down, passengers had to walk to the next stage. Until the 1820s coaches were accompanied by military detachments and guards with blunderbusses (a short musket) to discourage highwaymen. In 1838 a Dublin-Belfast ticket cost 27s. 6d. inside and 15s outside, plus a tip for the coachman. Journeys were timetabled and advertised, with contractors' penalty clauses operating. By the 1840s the railways had all but replaced stage coaches.