Charles Bianconi, an Italian, in July 1815 started a car for conveying passengers from Clonmel to Cahir, and soon after from Tipperary to Limerick. At the end of the same year similar cars were started to Cashel and Thurles, and from Clonmel to Carrick-on-Suir and Waterford. He obtained a supply of Horses, intended for the army, which were thrown on the market by the peace of 1815. They were bought at prices between 10 and 15 pounds. One of these horses drew a car with 6 passengers with ease at the rate of 7 miles per hour. Encouraged by his success, Bianconi extended, opening lines in the most remote districts, as from Longford to Ballina and Belmullet, from Athlone to Galway and Cliften, from Limerick to Tralee and Cahirciveen. By this time it was necessary to put two horses to a car, but the size of the cars were enlarged, so as to hold 8 passengers instead of 6. Gradually the two-wheeled cars were replaced by four-wheeled cars, drawn by two, three or four horses, according to the traffic on the several roads. In 1843, Bianconi had on his establishment a hundred vehicles, including mail coaches and cars of all sizes, capable of carrying 4 to 20 passengers each, and travelling 8 or 9 miles an hour, at the low rate of a penny farthing a mile, going over 3800 miles daily and calling at 140 stations. The growth of the Railway system affected Bianconi's trade but he still had 67 cars in use travelling daily 4240 miles, extending over 22 counties and requiring the use of 900 horses. Each of these stations had from 1 groom to 6, and sometimes 8, and there were 100 drivers for the 1300 horses. The drivers were paid according to the line ,the least pay given to those on well-frequented lines, where there was more certainty of gratuties from travellers. On the whole they were a well-conducted trustworthy staff. The average feed for the horses was three to four thousand tons of hay annually, and 30 to 40 thousand barrels of oats, all of which were purchased in their respective localities. Mary

Subject: Travel in Ireland 1800's >Thank you for this item, Mary. My Mary Maguire in Miltown Malbay were entered in a town survery in the late 1800s as "car owner". Now I understand that a little better. Pat D