0:00:03 > 0:00:09In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain and Ireland.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw
0:00:12 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, what to see and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:28 > 0:00:31across the length and breadth of these islands
0:00:31 > 0:00:34to see what of Bradshaw's world remains.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57My trusty Bradshaw's Guide has already led me
0:00:57 > 0:01:01on delightful journeys throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04But now for the first time, I've crossed the Irish sea,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07for when Bradshaw's descriptive railway handbook
0:01:07 > 0:01:11of Great Britain and Ireland was published in the 1860s,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Britain and Ireland were a single state.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19And now I'm set to explore a whole new island of railway stories.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24On this leg, I'll be exploring a daring feat of engineering,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27built by the father of Irish railways...
0:01:27 > 0:01:31So now I see the first of these remarkable tunnels ahead.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34We're going to plunge straight through the rock.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38..visiting a Victorian prison that played host to railway criminals...
0:01:38 > 0:01:40There was a child here of nine years of age
0:01:40 > 0:01:44for playing marbles on a train and annoying passengers.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47..and hearing how even animals embraced train travel
0:01:47 > 0:01:49in the age of steam...
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The giraffe was far too tall in its cart to get under each bridge,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56so they created a padded sliding roof and as it approached each bridge,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58the sliding roof gently closed.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01This long journey begins near Dublin,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03where this island's railways were born,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06then follows their expansion northwards.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Crossing into Northern Ireland,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10I'll then explore Belfast's industrial heritage
0:02:10 > 0:02:13before experiencing the stunning coast,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16finishing up in Derry/Londonderry.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18This stretch covers 17 miles,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22passing through the rocky outcrop of Bray Head on my way to Dublin
0:02:22 > 0:02:25where I'll explore railways that radiate from the city.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31I'm starting on a breathtaking line
0:02:31 > 0:02:35that skirts the east coast between Wicklow and Dublin.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39I'm looking forward to seeing both the Republic and Northern Ireland
0:02:39 > 0:02:42through the eyes of a 19th century travel writer.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45My Bradshaw's is enthusiastic about the landscape,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48saying that "particularly on the sea coast,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51"it assumes a splendid variety of scenery,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54"not to be surpassed in any part of the island.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59"The mountains and rocky elevations are here magnificently bold
0:02:59 > 0:03:03"and Brae Head itself commands an extensive view."
0:03:03 > 0:03:05But this dramatic topography
0:03:05 > 0:03:09presented a formidable challenge to the railway builder.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13This line was built to connect Dublin
0:03:13 > 0:03:15with the ports on the east coast,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19but the proposed route meant traversing the rocky headland of Bray Head,
0:03:19 > 0:03:20near the Wicklow mountains.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25I'm leaving the train at Greystones station to take a closer look.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33I've come to discover more about this beautiful stretch of railway
0:03:33 > 0:03:35passing through this infamous terrain
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and the remarkable engineer who achieved it.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40The best place to get to grips
0:03:40 > 0:03:43with the sheer scale of the challenge
0:03:43 > 0:03:47is up on the paths that cling to Bray Head's cliffs.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51It's where I'm meeting railway historian Brian Mac Aonghusa.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- Hello, Brian. - Oh, Michael, good morning.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57This must be one of the most spectacular pieces of railway line
0:03:57 > 0:03:58that I can think of.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01I think it is in Ireland. We're very proud of it
0:04:01 > 0:04:05because a lot of work went into the building of this.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09This hill, called Bray Head, contains Pre-Cambrian rock
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and it's one of the hardest rocks to drill through.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14And the man who succeeded in doing it
0:04:14 > 0:04:17was a very famous builder of Irish railways.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21As a matter of fact, he's known as the father of Irish railways, William Dargan.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27William Dargan was a self-taught entrepreneur and engineer
0:04:27 > 0:04:31who constructed more railway lines in 19th century Ireland
0:04:31 > 0:04:32than any other builder.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37But he wasn't involved with the Bray Head project at its outset.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41When the line was first proposed, it was the English engineer,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who took up the gauntlet.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50It was designed by Brunel, and Brunel started it in 1847,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54but the company could not raise sufficient capital after the famine.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59And there was great difficulty in organising men, organising the works.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04The great famine began with the failure of the potato harvest in the mid-1840s,
0:05:04 > 0:05:10and became so severe that almost an eighth of the population perished.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Making only short visits from England to supervise the works,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and remote from the harsh local realities,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Brunel and his contractor ran into trouble.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22By 1848, work had stopped.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26But luckily, Ireland's home-grown railway pioneer, William Dargan,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28stepped into the breach.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Dargan had achieved great notoriety for his achievements
0:05:33 > 0:05:35in building railways all over Ireland by that time.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39In the interests of the development of Ireland, the development of the people,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42he said he would do it without accepting cash.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45He agreed to accept shares or bonds in the company
0:05:45 > 0:05:47rather than be paid for the work.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Most unusual for such an astute person.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54William Dargan was horrified by the misery wrought by the famine.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56He encouraged railway building,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59believing that progress offered Ireland the chance of better times.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03He recruited the men he wanted and if they were undernourished,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06he would pay them one week's wages in advance
0:06:06 > 0:06:11and tell them to come back working when they had built up their strength.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Now, this went down extremely well with people.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17They admired him for that and also, if people were in distress,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19he was inclined to help them with a little cash.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And he became known as "The man with his hand in his pocket."
0:06:23 > 0:06:27At Bray head, Dargan continued to work closely with Brunel
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and by the mid 1850s had finished the job.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34It took 500 men to tunnel through the Pre-Cambrian rock.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36But looking at the project today,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39one of the tunnels appears to be disused.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41That was the original tunnel.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44The original tunnel, which when the line was first built by Dargan,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46along this stretch of coast.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50And he built that tunnel as well as five others between here and Greystones.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52And why are they disused now, then?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Because the line had to be moved inland
0:06:55 > 0:06:59because of erosion and the collapse of original wooden bridges
0:06:59 > 0:07:02which traversed the gorges here.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05But after about 60 years, it had to be abandoned,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and a new line had to be bored, as you can see from the other tunnel.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12The line has since become known as Brunel's Folly
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and it's certainly had its fair share of problems.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20These days, high-tech equipment guards against rock falls
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and cliff defences have been built to prevent erosion.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Despite all the expense and effort involved,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I'm very glad that the line still follows the same course,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32providing passengers with a magnificent view,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35which I'm about to see from a fresh perspective.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Now, what I have here is one of my favourite things in the world.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43This is a cab pass. This entitles me to ride with the driver.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45As long as I don't disturb him too much, of course!
0:07:47 > 0:07:51This is one of the intercity trains that ply this line,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and it's whisking me towards Dublin.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57It's a very, very smooth ride.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- And you're allowed to go how fast along here?- 60 miles an hour.
0:08:00 > 0:08:0460 miles an hour? So even though it's an ancient bit of track,
0:08:04 > 0:08:08through very challenging geography and battered by storms,
0:08:08 > 0:08:09you can still go at a good speed.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11We're allowed 60 up to here
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and once we enter the first tunnel, it's 40 miles an hour.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22So now I see the first of these remarkable tunnels ahead.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26We're going to plunge straight through this head of land.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Straight through the rock. Any idea how long this tunnel is, Robbie?
0:08:30 > 0:08:32It's about three-quarters of a mile.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Three-quarters of a mile, the first one. Dropping your speed down.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Passing through in one of these modern trains takes just a few seconds,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45but digging out this rock with the most rudimentary equipment
0:08:45 > 0:08:47must have been an epic task.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52So this brief moment of daylight between one tunnel and the next,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54this is what I was looking down on before
0:08:54 > 0:08:57when I was up there on Bray Head.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And back into the tunnel we go!
0:09:00 > 0:09:01HORN BEEPS
0:09:06 > 0:09:08What the passenger sees on this railway
0:09:08 > 0:09:13is the most stunningly beautiful view of mountain and of sea.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17And what I think of is the fantastic engineering achievement
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and how this formidable topography had to be dominated
0:09:21 > 0:09:24to build this railway line.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37I'm now taking a back seat again to continue my journey.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44My beautiful intercity train is now entering Dublin
0:09:44 > 0:09:48and my Bradshaw's tells me that it's the capital of Ireland
0:09:48 > 0:09:52and the second city of the British islands, on the River Liffey.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53And Dublin Bay, he says,
0:09:53 > 0:09:58"Unfolds one of the finest land and sea prospects ever beheld.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00"Rendered extremely picturesque
0:10:00 > 0:10:03"by the bays and creeks into which it is broken."
0:10:03 > 0:10:06My chief interest in Dublin is as the origin,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10the birthplace of the railways in Ireland.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16My train terminates at one of the city's fine Victorian stations.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Connolly Station in Dublin. I've been looking forward to seeing this
0:10:25 > 0:10:28because I've been told it's a thing of beauty.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35The main station opened in 1846,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and is an imposing Italianate building in white granite.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41As the railway network rapidly expanded, more capacity was needed,
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and this magnificent extension was added in 1876.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52And here it is, a glorious structure with beautiful arches
0:10:52 > 0:10:56in iron and in brick, and this impressive roof of glass.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58A station worthy of a capital city.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I'm now exploring Dublin with the help of my 19th century guide.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07It tells me,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11"The appearance of Dublin is very much improved of late years.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14"Streets have been widened, new squares skilfully laid out
0:11:14 > 0:11:18"and many public monuments freed from buildings
0:11:18 > 0:11:20"which concealed their beauties."
0:11:21 > 0:11:24But amid that apparent prosperity there was also deprivation.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Huge numbers of people arrived in the city fleeing the famine.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32And levels of poverty were among the worst in Europe.
0:11:32 > 0:11:38My Bradshaw's Guide holds a clue to the social problems that ensued.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I am often surprised by the places that Bradshaw's mentions
0:11:43 > 0:11:46as being of possible interest to the tourist.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Here in Dublin, of course, it mentions bridges and churches
0:11:50 > 0:11:55and fine public buildings, but also Kilmainham Jail.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Crime and punishment were much debated in 19th-century society
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and when my guide book was published,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03this prison had just been transformed
0:12:03 > 0:12:06to bring it into line with Victorian penal philosophy.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10I'm taking a tour with expert Niall Bergin.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12- Michael.- Good to see you.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Welcome to Kilmainham Jail.- A kind of chilling place I find it, actually.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- A very impressive space. - What's the history?
0:12:18 > 0:12:20The jail dates back to 1796,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23when it opened as the new county jail for Dublin
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and it closed in 1924, some incredible history here.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Interestingly, as the building stands today, just two wings,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34the west wing and the east wing which we are in at the moment,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36which is a late addition,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39classic Victorian and dates to the 1861, 1862 period.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44As cities rapidly expanded in the 19th century, crime soared.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48But modern thinkers regarded punishments like transportation
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and execution - except for murder - as barbaric.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54The answer - to expand the number of prisons.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59And between 1842 and 1877, 90 were built or extended.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Why did the Victorians build it in this shape?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05This is the classic panoptic design.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It is an all-seeing eye and it comes from the Greek "panopticon".
0:13:08 > 0:13:12When the prison staff were here, they could virtually see all the cells.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15It is all about observation and surveillance.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Also the Victorians were great believers in the healing power of light,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21and all Victorian prisons, be it in London,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Britain or Ireland, all have massive canopy skylights.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27They contradict themselves in a sense,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30because punishment was all about denying them light,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and all the punishment cells are right below us.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35What sort of crimes were people here for?
0:13:35 > 0:13:39I found a number of instances of railway connected crime,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42so things like not paying their fare
0:13:42 > 0:13:44or travelling on a train without proper tickets.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47There is a brilliant incident of a gentleman travelling on a buffer
0:13:47 > 0:13:51and he got two weeks' imprisonment for his crime.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54There was a child here of nine years of age
0:13:54 > 0:13:57for playing marbles on a train and annoying passengers.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Really interesting stuff.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The Victorian east wing provided the jail
0:14:02 > 0:14:05with an additional 96 cells of 9ft by 6ft each.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Visiting today,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09I am trying to imagine what life was like for the prisoners.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12So here we come across an open Victorian cell.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15How many prisoners were meant to be in here?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19All cells are for one person, but very rarely did that happen.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23There are records of up to two, three, four people per room.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Prisoners could have spent up to 22 hours per day in these cells
0:14:27 > 0:14:29without running water or toilets,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32leaving only for exercise or hard labour.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36This actually is a photograph of a typical cell.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40You can see the bed, something like a wooden board, a mattress,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42but during the day it was placed against a wall,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45just for more room for the prisoner to move around.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Also the rules and regulations are up there for the prisoner here.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53You can see the vents to let air in. Table and chair. Very basic.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55A chamber pot. Very, very basic.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57The windows are very highly placed
0:14:57 > 0:15:00so the prisoners are looking up towards heaven.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01The whole redemption thing again.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05It's a fascinating insight into Victorian penal practice.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08But Kilmainham Jail is remembered today
0:15:08 > 0:15:12for its role in the story of Irish nationalism.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Rebels against British rule were imprisoned here
0:15:15 > 0:15:16throughout the jail's life.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19But it was a 20th-century event
0:15:19 > 0:15:22that secured its place in Irish history.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23This yard, this space,
0:15:23 > 0:15:28this is the scene where the leaders of the 1916 uprising were executed.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32So this is the Easter Rising, this is where there's a huge rebellion,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34they seized many government buildings.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Obviously the rebellion failed
0:15:36 > 0:15:40and that failure led to the executions of 14...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Well, actually, 16 men were executed,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45but 14 in Kilmainham Jail by firing squad.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49As you look around the yard, you see the crosses at either end,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53and the crosses are marking the spots where the men were shot.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57During the rising, some 1,600 rebels
0:15:57 > 0:15:59held Dublin city centre for six days.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Around 450 people were killed, many of them civilians.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07At first, public opinion was largely hostile to the rebels.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09But the crackdown that followed
0:16:09 > 0:16:12created sympathy for the Republican cause.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15These days the Easter Rising is seen as a turning point
0:16:15 > 0:16:18in the history of Irish nationalism.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Kilmainham is one of the busiest heritage sites in Ireland today,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and if we were to ask even the visitors today,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26"Why are you here, what do you want to know?"
0:16:26 > 0:16:29They want to learn about the political history of Ireland
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and see the spot where these men were executed.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37Now it's back to Connolly Station.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Because I'm in search of a bed for the night,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and I've a rather special hotel in mind.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46It's just outside Dublin, in the coastal resort
0:16:46 > 0:16:48of Dun Loaghaire, or Dunleary.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50And to get there I am taking a service
0:16:50 > 0:16:52known to Dubliners as the Dart.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01On my travels I've often found that the earliest railways
0:17:01 > 0:17:03were built for freight, not for passengers,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06but that's not true of this particular line.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10I'm travelling along tracks that were laid in 1834 by William Dargan
0:17:10 > 0:17:12specifically for commuters.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16In fact the Irish claim it is the world's oldest commuter railway.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It's still doing the same job today as it was in the 1830s,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and today it is part of the Dublin area rapid transit.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25To my excitement,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29this was also 19th-century Ireland's first railway.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32The route was chosen because a smart new harbour
0:17:32 > 0:17:35had been built at Dunleary, making it a fashionable place to live.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Wealthy Dublin businessmen soon embraced the commute,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42which thousands of people still make each day.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- How are you?- Hello, Michael. - Have you heard of William Dargan?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Yes, I have.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49- Who was he?- I don't know, but I've heard the name.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51He was the engineer who built this railway line.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Look how beautiful it is here. Isn't that fantastic?
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Have you been on this railway before?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58No, I've never been on this railway.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Is it mentioned in your trusty guide?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Absolutely, it's mentioned my trusty guide.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06But this is supposedly the first commuter railway in the world,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08opened in 1834.
0:18:09 > 0:18:135,000 passengers on the first day. Isn't that a thought?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- Well, I hope you have a wonderful time.- Thank you.
0:18:15 > 0:18:16- Goodbye.- Enjoy your trip.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27So, Dunleary.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30The last thing I saw from the train as I came into the station
0:18:30 > 0:18:34was the harbour, right by the waterside, a beautiful spot.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Luckily for me, Dunleary's 19th-century gentrification
0:18:39 > 0:18:42included the building of a luxurious new hotel.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And on the first day of my Irish railway journey I've developed
0:18:48 > 0:18:50an intense admiration for William Dargan.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52He wasn't just a railway engineer.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54He was also in the business of supplying hotels.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57And so for my first night in the Republic,
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I've decided to stay in one of his finest.
0:18:59 > 0:19:05The Royal Marine Hotel, built between 1863 and 1865,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08even played host to Queen Victoria herself.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12A fitting spot for me and my Bradshaw's Guide to pass the night.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Day two of my journey, and it's back on the Dart for me
0:19:24 > 0:19:26to take a fuller look at the Irish capital.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31From Dunleary I'm headed once more to the heart of Dublin,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33a city of which I have many memories,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and of which I'm very fond.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38And I shall be exploring it using my Bradshaw's and the tips it gives me,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43starting with this handy map of the city from the mid-1860s.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It's wonderful to have my Victorian map,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50but when it comes to Dublin, it's of limited use.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Although the layout of the city has not changed too much,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55many of the street names have,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58reflecting Ireland's turbulent history.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Bradshaw's greatly admired what was Sackville Street, with its monument,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09splendid hotels and the column erected in honour of Horatio Nelson.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12But in this building here, the Post Office,
0:20:12 > 0:20:17the Easter Rising of 1916 reached its climax and the column of Nelson
0:20:17 > 0:20:23was blown up in 1966, and a spire erected in its place.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25And this is now O'Connell Street,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29so whilst the generous proportions of this boulevard have not altered,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32the names commemorated here have changed completely.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38The spire's official name is the Monument of Light.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Made of stainless steel, it reaches 120 metres into the sky.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- How are you?- Very well. May I ask, are you from Dublin?- I'm from Cork.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51- And you're visiting today? - No, I live here now.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- This spire, what do you think of that?- Opinion is divided about this.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Some people feel it wasn't the best use of resources,
0:20:58 > 0:21:00but it is actually astonishing to look at.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04There's no doubt it has a magnetic pull about it. It's beautiful.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- So you might be one of its fans, I think.- I wouldn't go that far.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12But yes, it is nice to look at.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16To reach my last stop on this leg of the journey,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I'm using another feature of modern Dublin, the tram.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- MACHINE:- Please select a ticket type.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'The Luas light rail system opened in 2004,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29'and carries 80,000 passengers per day around the city.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:32I do love trams, they add such personality to cities.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I'm so sorry that so many British cities have lost theirs.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38But I'm pleased too that some of them have got them back.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41These ones in Dublin are really smart and new.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Dublin got its first tramway in the 1870s, initially horse-drawn,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50but later using electrical power.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53That original system was phased out in the 1940s,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and now the city is proud of its new network.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Hello. Well, it is. It is my first time on the tram.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- Do you use it much yourself? - Only when I'm visiting my sister.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Don't you think there is something more romantic about a tram
0:22:08 > 0:22:09than a bus?
0:22:09 > 0:22:16- It's very modern. Not like the old trams.- They were good, weren't they?
0:22:16 > 0:22:19You preferred the old trams to these lovely modern ones?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- Why would you do that? - Well, I'm old-fashioned.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Tell me about the old ones. What were the sounds?
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- Did it have a bell? - Yes, it would go "Ding!"
0:22:31 > 0:22:35I've left the tram at Heuston Station,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38built in 1846 and recently restored.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43It's one of three main line stations in Dublin
0:22:43 > 0:22:45which in Bradshaw's day became the transport hub
0:22:45 > 0:22:47for the whole of Ireland.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Soon the trains were bringing visitors to a famous park
0:22:51 > 0:22:55for a new and educational experience.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59My Bradshaw's tells me that Dublin's famous Phoenix Park
0:22:59 > 0:23:03is seven miles around and contains barracks and zoological gardens.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08Today, Dublin Zoo is one of the city's most popular attractions.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11And in the early days, the railways helped to get it started.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15I'm meeting zoo archivist Catherine de Courcy to hear the story.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18I believe Dublin Zoo dates all the way back to 1831.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- Was Dublin in the vanguard of zoological gardens?- It was.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25London Zoo was opened in 1828, and that was really the first
0:23:25 > 0:23:28purpose-built zoo, and a lot of the modern zoos
0:23:28 > 0:23:30were modelled on London Zoo.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33The Dublin people, in 1830, founded a society specifically
0:23:33 > 0:23:36to create a zoo like London Zoo in Dublin.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39These early zoos weren't for entertainment,
0:23:39 > 0:23:40but for serious study.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44The Victorians were fascinated by the natural world,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47and seeing exotic animals in the flesh was superior
0:23:47 > 0:23:49to reading about them in books.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53London Zoo was happy to spread the movement to Dublin,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and sent a batch of animals to help the new zoo on its way.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58When we talk about animals being sent to Dublin Zoo,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I've never thought about it, but how did they make the journey?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04They arrived in a variety of different ways.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Many of the more exotic animals through the 19th century
0:24:06 > 0:24:09would have arrived by ship, directly from Liverpool.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13A lot of animals sent by people from Ireland came by train to Dublin.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16And they often travelled free of charge
0:24:16 > 0:24:19in the care of the train staff.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22For example, in the 1880s, a Reverend Brett sent us
0:24:22 > 0:24:27a crocodile from Wexford and somebody sent us a macaque monkey from Sligo.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30I think if I was a ticket collector and came across a crocodile
0:24:30 > 0:24:33on the train I probably wouldn't seek to extract the fare.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Now, these tall fellows behind us, I don't think they travelled by train.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39We did receive one that came on a long train journey
0:24:39 > 0:24:42to Dublin Zoo in 1902.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46We were given a present of a fully-grown giraffe by an Irishman
0:24:46 > 0:24:47living in the Sudan.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52It went on a train to Cairo and had to go under six bridges.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55The giraffe was far too tall in its car to get under each bridge,
0:24:55 > 0:25:00so they created a sliding roof, and as it approached each bridge
0:25:00 > 0:25:04the sliding roof gently closed and the giraffe's head dropped down.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It went under the bridge,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09and the roof was opened again and he had air once more.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13When zoos were first founded, they were private societies,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16aimed squarely at wealthy amateur naturalists.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19But while London Zoo remained exclusive until 1847,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Dublin offered public entrance for sixpence right from the start.
0:25:23 > 0:25:29Then, in 1840, the zoo launched penny tickets on Sundays.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31During the 19th century
0:25:31 > 0:25:33when the masses could come here quite cheaply,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I would love to think they came by train. Did they?
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Initially, it was largely for Dubliners.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40It was a local facility,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43but then we see, in the 1870s and 1880s particularly,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47a whole movement of people coming to Dublin for a day out,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51for a brief period, excursionists, tourists, to come to the zoo,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and that was clearly evident in the fact that the zoo,
0:25:54 > 0:25:58which had no money, put a lot of money into advertising.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02And in the 1870s they would place every year, for a number of years,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05framed advertisements with lions and tigers
0:26:05 > 0:26:07in 20 railway stations around the country.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10It was no coincidence that lions
0:26:10 > 0:26:12were chosen as the zoo's poster boys.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17In the 19th century, Dublin's lions were renowned,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20as might be judged from the grand former lion house.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Our lions were so famous that American visitors were known
0:26:24 > 0:26:27to disembark in Cork on the way through to Europe
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and come up by train, by the Great Southern Railway, up to Dublin
0:26:31 > 0:26:33specifically to visit our lions.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37American tourists were mostly headed for London or Liverpool,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40so stopping in Dublin was quite a detour.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42One especially big beast even attracted VIPs.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46In 1878, the zoo's secretary, Samuel Horton,
0:26:46 > 0:26:51showed the lions, including a huge one called Charlie,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54to former US President Ulysses S Grant.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57He lit up a cigar and contemplated Charlie, the extra-large lion,
0:26:57 > 0:27:01and at that point Horton decided to break the ice a bit
0:27:01 > 0:27:05and told the President that, in fact, the lions had been
0:27:05 > 0:27:07responsible for a 2% rise in the value
0:27:07 > 0:27:08of the Great Southern Railway,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10specifically because American tourists
0:27:10 > 0:27:14came to Dublin to have a look at our famous lions.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Travelling with my guide book is always full of surprises.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21But I never thought that a trip to the zoo would uncover
0:27:21 > 0:27:24quite so much railway history.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29What a joy it's been for me to revisit Dublin's fair city.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31And I'm delighted to discover that two characters helped
0:27:31 > 0:27:35the development of railways in Ireland,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39to whom train passengers should give thanks -
0:27:39 > 0:27:44the engineer, William Dargan, and a lion called Charlie.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53On the next stretch of my journey I'll be discovering
0:27:53 > 0:27:57an industrial railway built on inhospitable bogs...
0:27:57 > 0:28:00What scale of rail operation do you have here?
0:28:00 > 0:28:04Well, in total, we have 600 kilometres of permanent rail line.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08..admiring a marvel of Victorian railway engineering...
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Brendan, it's certainly worth seeing the viaduct from here, isn't it?
0:28:12 > 0:28:15It soars above the town and is a wonderful combination
0:28:15 > 0:28:16of iron and stone.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20..and unearthing extraordinary underground secrets.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23- So now we're at the sharp end. - Yes, this is where it all happens.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Just mind your footing. Just follow me is probably the best thing.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:51 > 0:28:54E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk