Browse content similar to Goes to Ireland - Killarney to Cobh. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Line | From | To | |
---|---|---|---|
In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain and Ireland. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:10 | |
His name was George Bradshaw, | 0:00:10 | 0:00:12 | |
and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks. | 0:00:12 | 0:00:16 | |
Stop by stop, he told them where to travel, | 0:00:18 | 0:00:20 | |
what to see and where to stay. | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys across the length | 0:00:25 | 0:00:30 | |
and breadth of these islands to see what of Bradshaw's world remains. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
In pursuit of my railway journeys, | 0:00:56 | 0:00:57 | |
I've once more crossed the Irish Sea. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:00 | |
When my Bradshaw's Descriptive Railway Handbook | 0:01:00 | 0:01:05 | |
of Great Britain and Ireland was published in the 1860s, | 0:01:05 | 0:01:08 | |
Britain and Ireland were a single state | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
under the reign of Queen Victoria. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:13 | |
My journey will take me from the rugged beauty of County Kerry, | 0:01:13 | 0:01:17 | |
across Ireland's rural Midlands, | 0:01:17 | 0:01:19 | |
and deposit me on the west coast at Galway. | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
On today's journey, I'll be sampling this region's Victorian delicacies. | 0:01:23 | 0:01:28 | |
I will be able to taste butter that has been absorbed through | 0:01:28 | 0:01:30 | |
-the shell of this egg. -You certainly will indeed, Michael. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
Mmm! I certainly do! | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
Exploring a stunning landscape shot to fame by rails and royals. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:40 | |
If it was good enough for the royal family, | 0:01:40 | 0:01:41 | |
-it was good enough for everyone. -That's true. | 0:01:41 | 0:01:43 | |
And risking life and limb for the gift of the gab. | 0:01:43 | 0:01:46 | |
-You have got to be kidding. -Just a little now. -Here goes then. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
I look forward to being eloquent. | 0:01:52 | 0:01:54 | |
Using my Bradshaw's Guide, I'm on tracks which opened up | 0:01:56 | 0:01:59 | |
the rich resources of the southern part of the island of Ireland | 0:01:59 | 0:02:03 | |
to tourists and trade. | 0:02:03 | 0:02:05 | |
I'll then travel north to discover the isle's Victorian heart | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
before turning west to finish in picturesque Galway. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
Today's stretch begins in Killarney's National Park, | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
then takes me east through Mallow, and on to Cork and the coast. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
My first stop is one of this verdant island's renowned beauty spots. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:27 | |
With delightful Victorian pomposity, my Bradshaw's says, | 0:02:27 | 0:02:31 | |
"To the majority of men who rush from smoky London | 0:02:31 | 0:02:34 | |
"and the cares of business, | 0:02:34 | 0:02:36 | |
"to feast their eyes upon the beauty and to inhale the fresh air | 0:02:36 | 0:02:40 | |
"of the fields, lakes and mountains, we recommend a trip to Ireland, | 0:02:40 | 0:02:45 | |
"and the lovely lakes of Killarney." | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
Really, my Bradshaw's | 0:02:48 | 0:02:50 | |
rarely bestowed such praise as on this place. | 0:02:50 | 0:02:53 | |
The countryside around Killarney is famous | 0:03:07 | 0:03:11 | |
for its scenic lakes and mountains. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:13 | |
And my guide book is lyrical about its silvern beauty | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
and wild grandeur. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:18 | |
Bradshaw's is definitive about where the railway tourist should begin. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:23 | |
"Whether his day is long or short, | 0:03:23 | 0:03:25 | |
"the first excursion he should make is to the far-famed Gap of Dunloe." | 0:03:25 | 0:03:29 | |
I'm heading straight there to meet guide Mike O'Connor. Hello, Mike. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:34 | |
-Hello, Michael. You're welcome to the Gap of Dunloe. -What is the Gap? | 0:03:34 | 0:03:38 | |
The Gap of Dunloe is a glacial breach. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
The ice moving in a northeasterly direction gouged out this | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
wonderful valley for all of us to enjoy today. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:48 | |
It is a fantastic sight. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:49 | |
Bradshaw's has five pages on Killarney. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:52 | |
He says the usual mode of proceeding is to hire a car or pony | 0:03:52 | 0:03:56 | |
and ride halfway through the pass. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:58 | |
"By this journey you will be able to see all the most celebrated | 0:03:58 | 0:04:01 | |
"and remarkable portions of the scenery, | 0:04:01 | 0:04:03 | |
"and to learn from the civil, well-informed and garrulous guides." | 0:04:03 | 0:04:07 | |
-I'm hoping that might be you, Mike. -Thank you. I hope it will. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:11 | |
'Amazingly, I can still tour the gap in a traditional horse and trap.' | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
Hello! 'Just as Victorians would have.' | 0:04:15 | 0:04:17 | |
-All right to jump aboard? -Get on board. -Thank you. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
Until the mid-19th century, this landscape was a well-kept secret, | 0:04:26 | 0:04:31 | |
enjoyed by the locals and landed elite. | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
But that was soon to change. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:35 | |
1853, the coming of the railway, it opened up Killarney. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:40 | |
Some say it was like a continental airport opening, brought people in. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:44 | |
But I would say it was like the information superhighway opening. | 0:04:44 | 0:04:48 | |
The mail could get out, | 0:04:48 | 0:04:49 | |
the telegraph lines were run along the railway tracks, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:52 | |
and communications with the outside world, | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
that all helped in no small way. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
The rails brought visitors to explore this remote region, | 0:04:56 | 0:04:59 | |
and it was a certain VIP who really brought fame to Killarney. | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
It is very clear that Killarney today attracts a lot of tourists. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
That actually has a lot to do with Queen Victoria herself, doesn't it? | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
Yes, Queen Vic came in August 1861 and spent three nights in Killarney, | 0:05:10 | 0:05:15 | |
and, of course, all the newspapers of the day sent over their best | 0:05:15 | 0:05:19 | |
illustrators and their writers, | 0:05:19 | 0:05:22 | |
and some of the sketches that went back were definitely a big influence | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
in the people travelling to where royalty travelled. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
If it was good enough for the royal family, | 0:05:28 | 0:05:30 | |
-it was good enough for everyone. -That's true. | 0:05:30 | 0:05:32 | |
Queen Victoria's visit helped to put Killarney on the map. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
But I don't suppose that she risked her dignity as I'm about to. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:41 | |
It says here, the guides being generally provided | 0:05:45 | 0:05:47 | |
with a bugle, produce notes which are echoed back again by the | 0:05:47 | 0:05:50 | |
Carrantual on one side and the purple mountains on the other. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:54 | |
And I can't help noticing that you've brought a bugle. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:56 | |
-Shall we give it a go? -Yes, we will. | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
'Unfortunately, today's guides aren't practiced buglers, | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
'so testing the echo falls to me.' | 0:06:03 | 0:06:05 | |
SPLUTTERING | 0:06:09 | 0:06:11 | |
SPLUTTERING WITH FAINT BUGLE SOUND | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
SPLUTTERING | 0:06:17 | 0:06:19 | |
SPLUTTERING | 0:06:20 | 0:06:22 | |
BUGLE ECHOES | 0:06:22 | 0:06:25 | |
That was not so bad. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
Even my bugling can't spoil Killarney's National Park. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:31 | |
It's 100 square kilometres of mountains, | 0:06:31 | 0:06:33 | |
woodland and the famous lakes which my guide book ranks amongst | 0:06:33 | 0:06:37 | |
the finest in the British Isles. | 0:06:37 | 0:06:38 | |
It says, "Lochs Lomond, Katrine and Windermere, beautiful as they are, | 0:06:40 | 0:06:44 | |
"do not possess the various attractions | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
"of these small but most lovely lakes." | 0:06:46 | 0:06:49 | |
-Hello. -Morning, Michael. -Morning, Dermot. -Thank you very much indeed. | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
Back in 1861, a highlight of Queen Victoria's visit | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
was a stately cruise on these peaceful waters. | 0:07:00 | 0:07:02 | |
Quite a lot of spectators took to the water too. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:06 | |
There are reports that it was up to 800 boats, but I think that is a lot | 0:07:06 | 0:07:11 | |
of boats, actually, given the size of our lakes, but there were | 0:07:11 | 0:07:14 | |
quite a lot of people who actually came out and just rode around. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:16 | |
The state barge was the biggest boat on this lake itself, | 0:07:18 | 0:07:21 | |
and it was very elaborate. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:22 | |
So, Killarney witnessed, in 1861, something of a royal regatta. | 0:07:22 | 0:07:26 | |
Absolutely. One could say that definitely. | 0:07:26 | 0:07:30 | |
While touring the lakes, Bradshaw's instructs me | 0:07:30 | 0:07:32 | |
to look out for the arbutus tree, saying, | 0:07:32 | 0:07:34 | |
"Nowhere is it found in such rich luxuriance as at Killarney." | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
This rare shrub usually grows only in Spain or Portugal, | 0:07:41 | 0:07:44 | |
but flourishes here thanks to the Gulf Stream. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:47 | |
In the 19th century, Killarney craftsmen discovered its | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
fine-grained wood was perfect for creating intricate inlaid furniture. | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
I've come to nearby Muckross House to view its exquisite | 0:07:59 | 0:08:02 | |
collection with guide, Anne Tangney. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
-Anne. -Hello. -Hello. -Welcome. -Thank you. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:09 | |
I've been reading about, and indeed seeing, arbutus trees, | 0:08:09 | 0:08:13 | |
and this table is an arbutus? | 0:08:13 | 0:08:17 | |
These were made from arbutus and yew wood. | 0:08:17 | 0:08:20 | |
It was a thriving industry in Killarney in the 1850s. | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
And there were about six families involved in it. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:26 | |
And they employed 40 or 50 people. | 0:08:26 | 0:08:29 | |
And the lovely features in this are the scenes of Killarney. | 0:08:29 | 0:08:33 | |
-See here, Muckross Abbey? -Yes. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:35 | |
The Old Weir Bridge, | 0:08:35 | 0:08:36 | |
-which I believe you passed by today, when you were on your travels. -I did. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:40 | |
And again, another featured image, always put on their pieces, | 0:08:40 | 0:08:44 | |
is the actual arbutus tree itself. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:46 | |
-So if you can see, look at the fruit of it here. -How lovely. -Lovely. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:51 | |
These days, Muckross is open to the public, | 0:08:51 | 0:08:53 | |
but in the 19th century it was the home of the local MP. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:57 | |
In 1861, the royal party came to stay here, | 0:08:57 | 0:09:01 | |
and a special piece of furniture was sculpted for the Queen's suite. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:05 | |
So, did Queen Victoria actually stay in these rooms? | 0:09:05 | 0:09:08 | |
Yes, these three rooms were given over for her complete stay. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
This was her boudoir, her private sitting room. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:13 | |
Is this piece the gift she was given? | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
Yes, this is the piece that three craftsmen worked on for many, | 0:09:15 | 0:09:18 | |
-many months. -How fabulous. What a perfect gift for a queen. | 0:09:18 | 0:09:22 | |
A beautiful piece, | 0:09:22 | 0:09:23 | |
and we're delighted to still have it here in the house. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
I'm now leaving this beautiful landscape to continue my journey. | 0:09:29 | 0:09:32 | |
I shall long remember Killarney, | 0:09:40 | 0:09:41 | |
which even on a wet day is mournfully magnificent. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:45 | |
I'm travelling east, along the line which opened up this region to | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
commerce and visitors in the 1850s. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
My guidebook has brought me into County Cork, | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
and I'll soon be arriving at the town of Mallow, | 0:09:55 | 0:09:58 | |
which is known as the crossroads of Munster, | 0:09:58 | 0:10:00 | |
because this railway line from west to east | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
is intersected by another travelling north to south. | 0:10:03 | 0:10:06 | |
Munster is one of Ireland's four historic provinces. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:11 | |
With the arrival of the rails came day-trippers and holidaymakers, | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
hungry for heritage. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:17 | |
I'm leaving the train at Mallow to explore an imposing | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
fortification, irresistible to readers of my Bradshaw's Guide. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
The magnificent, 15th century Blarney Castle. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
Its picturesque ruins chimed with the ideals of romanticism, | 0:10:35 | 0:10:39 | |
which was popular at the turn of the 19th century. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:41 | |
And in 1887, a special railway line | 0:10:41 | 0:10:44 | |
was built to bring visitors to its gates. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:46 | |
They made a beeline for the tower, to seek the famous Blarney Stone, | 0:10:47 | 0:10:52 | |
of which my guide book writes, | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
"To kiss it, the traveller must be lowered 20 feet. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
"When having kissed it, nobody can refuse you anything." | 0:10:57 | 0:11:00 | |
Can it really be that you have to be lowered 20 feet to kiss the stone? | 0:11:06 | 0:11:10 | |
Time will tell. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:11 | |
Victorian romantics were entranced by the stories which abound | 0:11:13 | 0:11:16 | |
regarding this famous stone. | 0:11:16 | 0:11:18 | |
Some believe it was the pillow of a Gaelic saint, | 0:11:18 | 0:11:21 | |
others that it's a sacred rock brought to Ireland | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
from Jerusalem during the Crusades. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:26 | |
Whatever the truth, kissing it is supposed to make you persuasive. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
Dennis Cronin helps tourists to get their lips in position. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:36 | |
-Hello. -Would you be Dennis? I would indeed, Michael. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:41 | |
-Well, I've come about this stone. -Yes. -What will it do for me? | 0:11:41 | 0:11:44 | |
-It will give you the gift of the gab. -I'm very short of that. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:48 | |
The origins of the ritual are lost, | 0:11:50 | 0:11:52 | |
but by the 19th century, it was an established tradition. | 0:11:52 | 0:11:55 | |
Thankfully, my guide book's description | 0:11:55 | 0:11:58 | |
of a 20-foot drop is exaggerated. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:00 | |
But even so, kissing the stone requires more dexterity | 0:12:00 | 0:12:03 | |
than your average snog. | 0:12:03 | 0:12:05 | |
-What's the method here then, Dennis? -We'll show you very easily. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
Be seated with your back to the wall, my good friend. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:10 | |
-Back to the wall, eh? Well, I'm used to that all right. -And come to me. | 0:12:10 | 0:12:13 | |
Raise your hands, left and right, please, and hold the bars. | 0:12:13 | 0:12:17 | |
-Drift this way a little. Head back. -You have GOT to be kidding. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:21 | |
-Just a little now. More. -OK, here goes then. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:23 | |
I look forward to being eloquent. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:27 | |
-Very good. Back up to me. -Oh, that's the difficult bit. | 0:12:29 | 0:12:32 | |
Oh, Dennis, I suddenly feel as though I could speak very | 0:12:32 | 0:12:35 | |
eloquently in many tongues. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:36 | |
-And you've enjoyed. -Oh, what a wonderful way to end the day. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
-Thanks. -Bye, friend. | 0:12:39 | 0:12:41 | |
Since the mid-19th century, the Blarney estate has been owned | 0:12:42 | 0:12:46 | |
by the Colthurst family | 0:12:46 | 0:12:47 | |
who built the impressive Blarney House in the grounds. | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
-Charles. -Michael. -How good of you to have me to stay. | 0:12:52 | 0:12:55 | |
-You're very, very welcome. -What a lovely, lovely house. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
Constructed in the Scottish baronial style in the 1870s, | 0:12:58 | 0:13:01 | |
the house has recently been restored to full Victorian grandeur. | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
Although it's open to the public, it's a rare privilege to sleep here. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
Here we are, we're coming into the North Room, | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
which will be your bedroom for the night. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
Turret with a bath, and then out the north window | 0:13:16 | 0:13:19 | |
we have a very good view of the castle to the north | 0:13:19 | 0:13:21 | |
and that will be floodlit later on tonight. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:25 | |
A turret with a bath and a room with a view of a castle. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
I shall sleep very well, Charles. Thank you so much. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:30 | |
You're most welcome, and I hope you do. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:32 | |
After a restful night in the shadow of Blarney Castle, | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
I'm retracing my steps to Mallow station. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:45 | |
-Which platform for Cork? -This side, sir. Just here beside us. | 0:13:46 | 0:13:50 | |
-Thank you. Bye. -Bye. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:51 | |
My next train will carry me | 0:13:53 | 0:13:54 | |
south towards the capital of this beautiful region. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
I'm following the Great Southern and Western Railway, | 0:14:09 | 0:14:12 | |
begun in the 1840s to link the fertile south to Dublin. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:16 | |
The train from Mallow rolls through beautiful green countryside, | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
so typical of Ireland, | 0:14:19 | 0:14:21 | |
but my Bradshaw's promises me a contrast when we arrive | 0:14:21 | 0:14:24 | |
in Cork - "A city port and capital of County Cork, | 0:14:24 | 0:14:27 | |
"and Munster province on the River Lee. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
"The rail reaches the town by a tunnel half a mile long." | 0:14:30 | 0:14:34 | |
I believe the tunnel is still there, and from what I remember, | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
the city bears the marks of its splendid maritime heritage. | 0:14:37 | 0:14:41 | |
The building of the tunnel was led by William Dargan, | 0:14:41 | 0:14:44 | |
father of the Irish railways, and Sir John MacNeill. | 0:14:44 | 0:14:48 | |
It took seven years to construct at the cost of several lives. | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
It was finally completed in 1855, ready to carry passengers | 0:14:52 | 0:14:56 | |
and freight from the city of Cork. | 0:14:56 | 0:14:58 | |
The end of the half-mile tunnel tells us | 0:14:59 | 0:15:02 | |
that we have arrived at Cork, at the station known as Kent. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:05 | |
The current station opened in 1893 but was renamed in 1966 | 0:15:07 | 0:15:12 | |
to commemorate nationalist rebel Thomas Kent, | 0:15:12 | 0:15:14 | |
executed by the British after the 1916 rising. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
At that time, the city was | 0:15:20 | 0:15:21 | |
a stronghold of anti-British sentiment, | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
but in the 1800s it was a loyal city that had strong links with | 0:15:24 | 0:15:27 | |
the Empire, forged through trade. | 0:15:27 | 0:15:29 | |
Cork today bustles with tourists, but my Bradshaw's Guide notes, | 0:15:31 | 0:15:35 | |
"There's a large export trade to | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
"the value of £3 million in grain, cattle, whiskey, provisions | 0:15:38 | 0:15:43 | |
"and especially country butter." | 0:15:43 | 0:15:44 | |
And that flow of comestibles laid the ground for the development | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
of retail markets to supply the local people with delicious products | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
from this fertile land. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:54 | |
The best place to sample the finest Cork produce is the English Market | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
in the heart of the city. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
Local historian Dermot O'Driscoll knows its rich history. | 0:16:04 | 0:16:09 | |
-Dermot! -Hi. -How lovely to see you. -Good to meet you, Michael. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:12 | |
-What a beautiful market. -Amazing, isn't it? We're really proud of it. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:16 | |
Well, you should be. How old is it? | 0:16:16 | 0:16:18 | |
This market was opened in 1788, so it's 220, 225 years old now. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:24 | |
And the architecture I'm looking at at the moment, | 0:16:24 | 0:16:26 | |
-that maybe is not quite as old as that. -Not as old. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
This section of the market was rebuilt in 1862. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
Which is about the time Queen Victoria was visiting Ireland, | 0:16:32 | 0:16:35 | |
and the time of my Bradshaw's Guide. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:36 | |
Around the time the market was founded, the rulers of the | 0:16:38 | 0:16:40 | |
expanding empire were utilising Cork's local bounty to the full. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:45 | |
The hinterland of Cork, very rich, great for grain growing, | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
excellent for beef growing, | 0:16:50 | 0:16:52 | |
which led to a huge trade in beef for provisioning ships, | 0:16:52 | 0:16:56 | |
your former colonies in the east coast of America and the Caribbean. | 0:16:56 | 0:17:00 | |
Cork butter had an international reputation from the middle | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
of the 18th century, and that was exported around the world. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:07 | |
Initially, Cork produce was exported by boat. | 0:17:08 | 0:17:10 | |
But the advent of rail transport gave the city an extra edge. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
Many of those things in the middle of the 19th century, | 0:17:16 | 0:17:18 | |
they could be picked up from their point of origin by train, | 0:17:18 | 0:17:22 | |
and brought here to Cork and then sent on by sea. | 0:17:22 | 0:17:25 | |
From about the 1850s onwards, there were six different rail lines | 0:17:25 | 0:17:29 | |
radiating out of the city. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:30 | |
The main one up to Dublin, | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
and then others to west and east Cork. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:36 | |
As the decades went on through the 1850s, '60s and so on, | 0:17:36 | 0:17:38 | |
they made connections, | 0:17:38 | 0:17:40 | |
especially with the seaports on the west Cork coast. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:43 | |
The English Market is so called because its founders, | 0:17:44 | 0:17:46 | |
the City Corporation, | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
were Protestant Conservatives loyal to the Crown. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
The name fell out of favour in the 20th century, | 0:17:52 | 0:17:54 | |
when the island of Ireland was riven by troubles. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:57 | |
But in recent decades, tensions have eased, | 0:17:57 | 0:18:00 | |
and the name has gained currency again. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:02 | |
In 2011, the market even welcomed the Queen on an official visit. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:07 | |
You've lived through troubled periods, as I have. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:10 | |
Were you not astonished by the idea that the British Queen | 0:18:10 | 0:18:12 | |
would be able to visit the Republic of Ireland? | 0:18:12 | 0:18:14 | |
Did you see that one coming? | 0:18:14 | 0:18:15 | |
Attitudes have changed on all sides. People understand the past better. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:21 | |
We are all more open now and maybe more forgiving, | 0:18:22 | 0:18:25 | |
and it's better to look forward than to look back all the time. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
The modern market offers some local specialities, | 0:18:29 | 0:18:32 | |
born out of necessity in the days before refrigeration. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:36 | |
I'm keen to try so-called battleboard, | 0:18:36 | 0:18:38 | |
dried salt fish that got its name from its plank-like appearance. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:42 | |
Now, Michael, here's some of the battleboard, | 0:18:42 | 0:18:45 | |
and an old battleboard here, Pat O'Connell, who's the fishmonger. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:49 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:18:49 | 0:18:50 | |
Pat, very good to see you. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:51 | |
Hello, Michael. Very pleased to meet you. | 0:18:51 | 0:18:53 | |
And this is the stock fish of the battleboard. | 0:18:53 | 0:18:55 | |
It looks incredibly salty. Incredibly salty. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:58 | |
It is incredibly salty, but it tastes really, really good. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
The secret is that you soak it overnight. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
Because if you take it like this, | 0:19:03 | 0:19:04 | |
you're going to end up an alcoholic in a very short time! | 0:19:04 | 0:19:07 | |
-May I try some, please?, -Come over here and we'll have a try. | 0:19:09 | 0:19:12 | |
I'll give you a little taste. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:13 | |
Well, I must say, it looks a great deal better now | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
than it does over there. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:20 | |
It is a little bit. Spot the difference! | 0:19:20 | 0:19:22 | |
You're going to do Mother, are you? | 0:19:22 | 0:19:23 | |
I'll do Mother, yeah. | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
Now this is the old traditional way, where you soak it overnight. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:31 | |
You boil it up, change the water the next morning, | 0:19:32 | 0:19:35 | |
and then you boil it up with some onion and some good Irish potatoes. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:39 | |
Very important. | 0:19:39 | 0:19:41 | |
-That's good. -It is powerfully salty still, isn't it? But it is lovely. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:51 | |
That is the nature of it. | 0:19:51 | 0:19:53 | |
Well, thank you very much, and your very good health, sir. | 0:19:53 | 0:19:56 | |
Slainte! | 0:19:56 | 0:19:57 | |
That's what I meant to say! | 0:19:57 | 0:19:59 | |
Salting fish is just one way in which locals preserved | 0:20:00 | 0:20:03 | |
food in Victorian times. | 0:20:03 | 0:20:05 | |
Thrifty farmers' wives had a clever method for keeping eggs fresh. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:09 | |
Michael, this is Gerry Moynihan, | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
and we're here to sample some buttered eggs. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:13 | |
-Very welcome to our market, Michael. -Oh, thank you. | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
-Now, buttered eggs, that does sound intriguing. -Yes. | 0:20:16 | 0:20:18 | |
May I try one, please? | 0:20:18 | 0:20:19 | |
Sure, we'll give you this nice fresh one here, nice and freshly boiled. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
Thank you very much. So, what is a buttered egg? | 0:20:22 | 0:20:24 | |
Has it got butter inside it? | 0:20:24 | 0:20:26 | |
Well, no, there is butter inside it, but the shell is covered | 0:20:26 | 0:20:30 | |
with butter and it's done when the egg is very, very fresh. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
The old theory was that the egg should be actually taken | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
before the hen missed the egg, as such. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:37 | |
It's coated with butter, it seals the shell of the egg, | 0:20:37 | 0:20:40 | |
and it preserves the egg at that level of freshness. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:42 | |
So I will be able to taste butter, | 0:20:42 | 0:20:44 | |
that has been absorbed through the shell of this egg. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
You certainly will indeed, Michael. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
-Mmm! I certainly do. -Very nice. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:51 | |
Now this one may catch on. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:54 | |
In the 19th century, with the prime cuts of | 0:20:54 | 0:20:57 | |
beef and pork being reserved for export and affluent customers, | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
the less well-off locals had to get creative with what was left. | 0:21:00 | 0:21:04 | |
This is Kathleen here, at O'Reillys. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:06 | |
Hello, Kathleen. Very nice to see you. | 0:21:06 | 0:21:08 | |
Makers and sellers of drisheen and tripe. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:10 | |
-Kathleen, what is drisheen? -It's a pure blood pudding. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:13 | |
It's just the blood from the cow or the sheep. | 0:21:14 | 0:21:16 | |
And what do you serve it with? | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
We serve it with the tripe, and you can have some potato with it, | 0:21:18 | 0:21:22 | |
or some bread, but we just serve it with the tripe here. | 0:21:22 | 0:21:24 | |
Well, let me have a go then. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:25 | |
So, the white bits are the tripe? | 0:21:29 | 0:21:31 | |
-Cooked in milk with onions, isn't it? -That's right. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:36 | |
-Now I'll go for this. -The drisheen. That's the real taste of Cork now. | 0:21:36 | 0:21:40 | |
Mmmm! | 0:21:42 | 0:21:44 | |
It's quite mild, actually, isn't it? It's quite mild. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:50 | |
-Now you're longing for some, aren't you, Dermot? -Yeah, can't wait! | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
THEY LAUGH | 0:21:53 | 0:21:55 | |
Thank you so much for that. | 0:21:55 | 0:21:57 | |
'After a true taste of Victorian Ireland, | 0:21:57 | 0:21:59 | |
'I'm full of energy for the last leg of my journey.' | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
I'm taking a short hop down to the coast, | 0:22:08 | 0:22:10 | |
to the harbour that brought Cork its wealth. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:13 | |
This beautiful waterside railway is leading me towards Cobh, | 0:22:15 | 0:22:18 | |
and my Bradshaw's says, "The noble harbour surrounded | 0:22:18 | 0:22:21 | |
"by hills on all sides is five miles long, | 0:22:21 | 0:22:25 | |
"having room and water enough for hundreds of vessels of any size." | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
And I have a feeling that a port of such dimensions must have played | 0:22:29 | 0:22:33 | |
a substantial part in Irish history. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:36 | |
My guide book refers to Cobh as Queenstown, | 0:22:40 | 0:22:42 | |
so named in honour of a royal visit in 1849. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:46 | |
The harbour that Victoria and Albert saw was thronged with | 0:22:48 | 0:22:51 | |
vessels, from battleships to pleasure craft. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:54 | |
"Cobh...", my Bradshaw's tells me, "..is situated on a steep terrace | 0:22:54 | 0:22:57 | |
"on Great Island, with its yacht club and pretty bathing rooms." | 0:22:57 | 0:23:03 | |
Yacht club? That sounds both historic and exclusive. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:06 | |
I shall investigate. | 0:23:06 | 0:23:07 | |
This small seaside town has played a big role in maritime history. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:13 | |
I'm meeting Eddie English, who hails from a long line of Cobh sailors. | 0:23:13 | 0:23:17 | |
Eddie, hello. | 0:23:17 | 0:23:18 | |
-Cead mile failte! -Thank you so much, it's very nice to be welcomed here. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:22 | |
I'm interested in your yacht club, because my Bradshaw's mentions it. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:25 | |
Very historic, is it? | 0:23:25 | 0:23:27 | |
This is the oldest yacht club in the world, the Royal Cork Yacht Club. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:31 | |
Founded in the early 18th century, | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
the club claims to be the oldest still going today, | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
and has its current headquarters in nearby Crosshaven. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:40 | |
But in Victorian times it was based here in Cobh, | 0:23:40 | 0:23:43 | |
and in 1854 its members moved into this grand Italianate clubhouse. | 0:23:43 | 0:23:48 | |
That is a very fine building for a yacht club, | 0:23:49 | 0:23:51 | |
so I'm beginning to think that yachting is not | 0:23:51 | 0:23:53 | |
just about being on a boat, there's also a social side of things. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:56 | |
Well, the social life was very important, | 0:23:56 | 0:23:58 | |
but, more so than other clubs, the Royal Cork Yacht Club was | 0:23:58 | 0:24:00 | |
always a sailing club and they went sailing. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:03 | |
So you had big, huge yachts racing here, | 0:24:03 | 0:24:05 | |
they'd go off out the harbour, way off, a 50-mile course, come back, | 0:24:05 | 0:24:09 | |
finish here, celebrations here, and in the big houses around the town. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:14 | |
I get the impression that Cobh absolutely bristles with history. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
May we take a tour and find out more? | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
We certainly can. Step this way. | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
Eddie's letting me take the helm as we explore | 0:24:22 | 0:24:24 | |
this lovely stretch of water. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:26 | |
I'll just put it back in the middle. That's it. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:32 | |
We're pushing that way. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:35 | |
As well as being long, | 0:24:35 | 0:24:36 | |
the harbour is also deep enough for even the biggest vessels, | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
including some which pushed the boundaries of Victorian technology. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:44 | |
My Bradshaw's tells me that the Sirius, under Captain Roberts, | 0:24:44 | 0:24:47 | |
was the second steamer to cross the Atlantic, | 0:24:47 | 0:24:51 | |
leaving Cobh on the 1st June, 1838, | 0:24:51 | 0:24:54 | |
and taking 17 days to reach New York. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:57 | |
Yeah, well, she crossed the Atlantic, and as you mentioned | 0:24:57 | 0:25:00 | |
Captain Roberts, I met his great, great, great grandson today, | 0:25:00 | 0:25:04 | |
who's a friend of mine, and they're very proud of their heritage. | 0:25:04 | 0:25:09 | |
And, in fact, she crossed the Atlantic twice. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:11 | |
She was chartered from the City of Cork Steam Packet Company, | 0:25:11 | 0:25:14 | |
and was the first passenger vessel to cross the Atlantic under steam. | 0:25:14 | 0:25:19 | |
Very soon, steamships like the Sirius were to carry | 0:25:21 | 0:25:24 | |
unprecedented numbers of passengers, seeking to escape to a new life. | 0:25:24 | 0:25:28 | |
Now, following the great Irish Hunger of 1848, millions emigrated, | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
and Cobh was one of the main places they left from, wasn't it? | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
It certainly was. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:40 | |
Cobh was very well connected, especially when the railways came. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:44 | |
It was connected with the railways in 1862, | 0:25:44 | 0:25:46 | |
and from then on people just poured into Cobh from all | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
corners of Ireland, and indeed from England, because they could | 0:25:49 | 0:25:53 | |
get the mail packet across, and then get the train down to Cobh. | 0:25:53 | 0:25:57 | |
Huge numbers went from Cobh to several different | 0:25:57 | 0:25:59 | |
destinations on the east coast of the States and also Canada. | 0:25:59 | 0:26:04 | |
It's a very poignant thought, isn't it, | 0:26:04 | 0:26:07 | |
to think of those people so desperate, | 0:26:07 | 0:26:09 | |
and yet also so full of hope? | 0:26:09 | 0:26:11 | |
Right up until the 1950s, | 0:26:11 | 0:26:13 | |
Cobh was this island's most important emigration port, | 0:26:13 | 0:26:16 | |
and it also played a role | 0:26:16 | 0:26:18 | |
in two of maritime history's most terrible disasters. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:21 | |
What's the connection with the Titanic? | 0:26:21 | 0:26:23 | |
Well, Cobh, was a major port of call for the transatlantic liners, | 0:26:23 | 0:26:27 | |
and then the Titanic, a major occasion, came here, her last | 0:26:27 | 0:26:31 | |
port of call before the unfortunate disaster with the iceberg. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:35 | |
A couple of years later we had the terrible tragedy | 0:26:35 | 0:26:38 | |
of the sinking of the Lusitania. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:40 | |
It was due here into Cobh, | 0:26:40 | 0:26:41 | |
a regular caller, and a much-loved ship, | 0:26:41 | 0:26:43 | |
and huge connections with Cobh. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:45 | |
-Sunk by a German U-boat. -That's correct. | 0:26:45 | 0:26:48 | |
Yes, just 20 miles from here. | 0:26:48 | 0:26:49 | |
The advent of air travel spelled the end of the great ocean liners, | 0:26:51 | 0:26:55 | |
but Cobh hasn't entirely lost its link with adventure on the sea. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:59 | |
The railway's still there, | 0:27:00 | 0:27:02 | |
and I think it's a much happier operation now, | 0:27:02 | 0:27:04 | |
because it's the people, the holiday makers on cruise liners, they | 0:27:04 | 0:27:08 | |
get off the ships and they get on the railway and they go up to Cork. | 0:27:08 | 0:27:12 | |
So, the connection is still there. | 0:27:12 | 0:27:14 | |
It's good to know that Victorian tracks provide continuity | 0:27:15 | 0:27:19 | |
with this region's past. | 0:27:19 | 0:27:21 | |
But, thankfully, some things have changed for the better. | 0:27:21 | 0:27:24 | |
Queen Victoria was awed by the beauty of the lakes | 0:27:26 | 0:27:29 | |
and mountains of southern Ireland. | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
But just a short time after her last visit here, | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
this country fought for and won its independence. | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
When I was in politics, | 0:27:38 | 0:27:39 | |
the idea that Queen Elizabeth II might make an official visit | 0:27:39 | 0:27:43 | |
to the Republic of Ireland would have seemed like fantasy. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:46 | |
But the beauty of time passing | 0:27:48 | 0:27:50 | |
is that it makes the impossible possible. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
On my next journey, I'll learn the ancient art of butter making. | 0:27:56 | 0:28:00 | |
It's exquisite, Eamonn. It's a taste of the Irish rain. | 0:28:01 | 0:28:04 | |
Thank you very, very, very much. | 0:28:04 | 0:28:06 | |
I'll tackle the basics of Ireland's oldest game. | 0:28:07 | 0:28:10 | |
So what's the first thing I should learn? | 0:28:10 | 0:28:12 | |
-It's to bounce it on my hurley? -Yeah. | 0:28:12 | 0:28:15 | |
Oops! | 0:28:15 | 0:28:16 | |
And I'll ride the Duke of Devonshire's Victorian Irish Railway. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:20 | |
In case the Duke of Devonshire is watching, | 0:28:20 | 0:28:23 | |
I want to thank your ancestor, sir, for giving us this lovely railway. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:27 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:28:55 | 0:28:59 |