0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 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 > 0:00:21Stop by stop he told them where to travel,
0:00:21 > 0:00:23what to see and where to stay.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:31across the length and breadth of these islands
0:00:31 > 0:00:36to see what of Bradshaw's world remains.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02For this journey I've crossed the Irish Sea
0:01:02 > 0:01:06using my Bradshaw's Guide to Great Britain and Ireland.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10When my descriptive railway handbook was published in the 1860s
0:01:10 > 0:01:15the two formed a United Kingdom under the reign of Queen Victoria.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Although industrialisation was more pronounced
0:01:17 > 0:01:20in England, Wales and Scotland,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24there was an extensive railway network in the Emerald Isle.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Today I'll learn the ancient art of butter-making.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It's exquisite, Eamon. It's a taste of the Irish rain.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Thank you very, very, very much.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37I'll tackle the basics of Ireland's oldest game.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39So, what's the first thing I have to learn?
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- Just...- Is to bounce it on my...hurley.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44- Hurley. Yeah.- Oops!
0:01:44 > 0:01:46And I'll ride the Duke of Devonshire's
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Victorian Irish railway.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51In case the Duke of Devonshire is watching,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53I want to thank your ancestor, sir,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57for giving us this lovely railway.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Using my Bradshaw's guide, I'm following tracks
0:02:02 > 0:02:05which opened up the rich resources of the south of Ireland
0:02:05 > 0:02:07to tourists and trade.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12I'll then travel north to discover Ireland's 19th century heart,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16before turning west to finish in beautiful Galway.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Today's leg begins in Charleville, on the northern tip of County Cork,
0:02:20 > 0:02:26takes in County Tipperary and ends in the city of Waterford.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31My Bradshaw's is rather unfair.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The constant drizzle is the chief drawback,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36but this gives Ireland its emerald green.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39It's said that the rain never leaves off
0:02:39 > 0:02:41but on the 30th of February.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Well, the rain may be inconvenient to the tourist
0:02:44 > 0:02:48but it's given Ireland an industry that is the envy of the world.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Dairy farming.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Founded in 1661, Charleville, in County Cork,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01was named after King Charles II.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Linen and wool were its first staples
0:03:05 > 0:03:08but after the railways arrived in 1849,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12dairy farmers, and butter-makers in particular took full advantage.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23I'm meeting Eamon O'Sullivan,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26who can trace his butter-making and railway roots
0:03:26 > 0:03:28all the way back to Bradshaw's day.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Ha-ha! Eamon!
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Not many people have a railway signal in their garden.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- Why do you have it? - Because you see a signal,
0:03:35 > 0:03:41I see a monument, a monument to thousands of employees
0:03:41 > 0:03:44that built the railways, that laid the track,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48that controlled the signals, that worked in the station,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50like my own dad and my granddad.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I was actually born under a signal.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Were you?- And my mother, the day I was born,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59on February 8, 1953,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03there was a big noise and she said, "Don't worry, luvvie," she said.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06I was two hours old. "That's the 1730 going down to Cork."
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- The first sound you heard was a train.- A steam train.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13I've come to talk to you about butter. What is the connection between railways and butter?
0:04:13 > 0:04:15If you were a farmer in West Limerick
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and you had 50 miles to travel to the marketplace, which was Cork,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22it took 12 hours. When the train stopped in Charleville, Michael,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25it took one hour. So you had your product
0:04:25 > 0:04:28efficiently gone to the marketplace in Cork.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32And all that because of the train, so I take double pride
0:04:32 > 0:04:37in being a railway child and also being on my mother's side
0:04:37 > 0:04:41descended from great dairy people who knew about making butter.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Replacing the 'butter roads' that once connected
0:04:44 > 0:04:46County Cork's rural areas with its towns,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50railways sped up the delivery of dairy products,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54like the butter Eamon and his daughters produce traditionally
0:04:54 > 0:04:57from its raw material - cream.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Now, Michael, if you entered a house in the past,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05it was very good manners to take part in the churning,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07so I'm going to ask you to wish the butter good luck
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and a good yield and good flavour
0:05:09 > 0:05:12that you would operate the churning for a few minutes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13- Just like this?- Just like this.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Eamon, what is it I'm doing here, what am I achieving?
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Michael, you're doing something that people did 400 years ago.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22That's the oldest form of butter churning.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Now, what happens next, after that?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Now, what you have now is buttermilk and butter grains.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29You took one product and you made two.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33You took one product and, like Paul Daniels, you did magic.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36You did magic! And look now, you've two products.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39You've buttermilk and butter grains.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So, Edwina is working the moisture out now and the air.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Now, I see why you get the water out, of course
0:05:44 > 0:05:47but why do you need to get the air out as well?
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Very important you take the air out, because bacteria need three things,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53they need heat, food and moisture,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56so, we reduce the temperature, which takes out the heat.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We take out the air, which takes out the oxygen
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and we take out the moisture, which takes out the food source
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and we salt it as well, which shouldn't allow
0:06:04 > 0:06:07or encourage bacteria to grow. So, you get good flavour
0:06:07 > 0:06:11- and long keeping.- Ah, that's why you put salt in it as well, is it?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- Exactly.- Edwina, may I have a little go at that?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- Most definitely. - So, what do I have to do?
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Just squeeze to get the water and the air out.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Yeah. Now, if you take the heel of your hand and go like that.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Yeah, OK. Like this.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- I can see water still coming out. - That's right.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26- And you can fold it in like this. - Uh-huh.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27It's rather satisfying.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I can show you the shaping into the block, if you'd like?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Ooh, that will be difficult, I should think. OK, show me how you do that.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Now, mind the splashes. It's just...
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Mmm, beautiful.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Now, Michael, Louise is actually going to wrap the pound of butter.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Just like doing Christmas presents, isn't it?
0:06:58 > 0:07:00A little block of gold.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05In a world dominated by technology,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08it's heartening that traditions dating back to Bradshaw
0:07:08 > 0:07:10and beyond still thrive.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Michael, this is the fruit of our labour
0:07:16 > 0:07:20and it was a labour of love, but, Michael, we have done justice
0:07:20 > 0:07:24to the memory of thousands and thousands of people
0:07:24 > 0:07:26going back 4,000 years.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And I'm going to ask you to taste that.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31And that colour, Michael, is pure natural,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34that's the beta-carotene that comes from the grass.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- Thank you, Eamon.- And I'm going to ask you to wash it down, Michael,
0:07:38 > 0:07:40with real, real, buttermilk.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43Now, there is little grains of butter in it,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45that's to be expected, and I think, Michael,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49you're going to leave here with a taste that you will not forget.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- Enjoy.- Your great good health, Eamon.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55And thank you so much, Michael.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Mmm.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Gosh, that is the richest thing
0:07:59 > 0:08:04- with all those little pearls of butter.- Gorgeous. Beautiful.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I thank you so much for recognising that.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10And followed now by dollops of butter.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Very good, very good, very good.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17It's exquisite, Eamon, it's the taste of the country,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20it's the taste of the Irish rain.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Please, Michael, take it away in your heart.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26and take it away in your mind. Thank you very, very, very much.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Leaving County Cork behind, I'm making a detour north east
0:08:37 > 0:08:41into County Tipperary on the intercity mainline.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00The arrival of the railways in Victorian times
0:09:00 > 0:09:04massively increased mobility, enabling people
0:09:04 > 0:09:08to broaden their horizons beyond the limits of their village or community
0:09:08 > 0:09:11and that new ability to travel to other towns and cities
0:09:11 > 0:09:14stimulated the development of sport,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18particularly one that became so important in Irish history
0:09:18 > 0:09:23and culture, as I hope to discover at my next stop, Thurles.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28In the 12th century, at least 1,700 Norman invaders
0:09:28 > 0:09:31were slain in battle here, but in the late 19th century,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Thurles became a symbol of pursuits of a gentler nature
0:09:35 > 0:09:38when the Gaelic Athletic Association was formed.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40It's the governing body of Ireland's national sports -
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Gaelic football and hurling.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47And with the advent of the railways, crowds from all over the country
0:09:47 > 0:09:50were able to travel to watch these games.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55Today, this rural town has an incongruously large sports stadium.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57And I'm meeting Pat Bracken,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01a PhD student of Victorian sport to find out why.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Pat, this is an enormous stadium.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07I thought Thurles was quite a small town, how do you have such a large stadium?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Thurles had a sports field here for many years
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and it developed from 1910 as a sports field
0:10:13 > 0:10:16solely for Gaelic sports and pastimes.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19And it's a terrific gem for the game,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21not alone in Thurles, but throughout the country.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24What's the population of Thurles and what's the capacity of the stadium?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Thurles has a population of just around 7,000 persons
0:10:27 > 0:10:30and the stadium has a capacity of 53,000
0:10:30 > 0:10:33so it's a big jump, but on match days,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36particularly the Munster final day, it's absolutely jam-packed
0:10:36 > 0:10:40and there's a great buzz around the town and the square.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44No-one knows the precise origins of the sport.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47But perhaps the earliest surviving reference to hurling in this island,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50is found in 7th century Irish laws,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54which describe sporting injury compensation.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Not for the faint hearted, hurling is played with sticks
0:10:57 > 0:11:00called hurleys, a ball called a sliotar,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03and by two teams of 15 trying to outscore each other
0:11:03 > 0:11:07by hitting the ball between the posts or into the goals.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09So, when did the sports that are played here
0:11:09 > 0:11:12become official and organised?
0:11:12 > 0:11:15They became official and organised for the want of a better word,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18codified even, in 1884 at a meeting
0:11:18 > 0:11:21in one of the hotels in Thurles, Lizzie Hayes' Commercial Hotel,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24that was on the 1st November in 1884.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27So, I'm at the very heart, I'm at the place where it all began.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30You're at the official birth of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33How important are these sports and these events
0:11:33 > 0:11:37to the Irish character, Irish culture, Irish calendar?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40I don't think in the history of anything in relation to sport in Ireland
0:11:40 > 0:11:45is there two games more important to the Irish psyche
0:11:45 > 0:11:47than hurling and Gaelic football.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49So, is there any way I can learn the basics today?
0:11:49 > 0:11:51I think you could indeed.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Even though hurling's an amateur sport,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58its top players, like Noel McGrath and Joanne Ryan,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02who plays the women's version called camogie, are well-known faces.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I have never dressed like this in my life!
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Time for my ritual humiliation.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- Hi, guys. So, how do I play it? Can I borrow your hurley?- No bother.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13So what's the first thing I have to learn?
0:12:13 > 0:12:17- I suppose it's...- Is to bounce it on my hurley...- Yeah.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18- Oops!- Yeah!
0:12:18 > 0:12:20I suppose the first thing to do
0:12:20 > 0:12:23is teaching youngsters just how to how to hold the hurley right
0:12:23 > 0:12:27and then just to raise the ball and get it into the hand like that.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30What's the point of getting it in your hand, you're going to throw it?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34You have to get into your hand, so you can hit it with the hurley again.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- Nearly!- Nearly there, yeah.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Just that six inches adrift...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Yay...I'm off!- That's it, yeah.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51What's this business about bashing it round the field? How do you do that?
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I suppose you just, once you get it into your hand
0:12:53 > 0:12:57you just throw it up and you just strike it, like.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00I suppose it comes natural after a while, like.
0:13:00 > 0:13:01So how do you do that neat thing,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05you just swing your bat around... Two hands on the hurley...
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Ooh! Sorry, a bit hard. Too good for you, Joanne!
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I'm playing a cricket stroke there... so...
0:13:14 > 0:13:18- Yeah.- Ah, that's getting better! Hooray!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Noel, I'll get your autograph later.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- Thank you very much indeed. - No problem.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30It's probably best that I abandon my stick and journey on.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43In Bradshaw's day and indeed well into the 20th century,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47there was a direct rail connection from Thurles to my next destination,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50but Ireland suffered cutbacks in its rail network
0:13:50 > 0:13:53every bit as radical as those in the UK
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and so now I have to go back south to Limerick Junction
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and then eastward to Clonmel.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10I'm changing train at Limerick Junction,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12an important crossing point that, in Bradshaw's day,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15opened up Ireland's most southerly rail routes
0:14:15 > 0:14:19and one of its most famous towns.
0:14:19 > 0:14:25The song, It's A Long Way To Tipperary, was written in Manchester in 1912
0:14:25 > 0:14:29and being a lament for a girl left far behind at home,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33it became popular with the soldiers in World War One marching to the front
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and became globally famous.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37With its reputation for being so distant,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I never dreamt that I'd set foot there myself
0:14:40 > 0:14:44but right now, I'm arriving in Tipperary.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I'm not alighting.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53But my next destination is not a long way from Tipperary,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56it's just 27 miles down the track.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00In the mid-18th century, the ancient town of Clonmel
0:15:00 > 0:15:03demolished part of its city wall and built a deepwater quay
0:15:03 > 0:15:04on the River Suir,
0:15:04 > 0:15:08becoming one of the most important freight hubs for Irish corn.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16The railway arrived in 1852, but some years earlier,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Ireland's first ever public transport service
0:15:19 > 0:15:24commenced here and I'm hoping that Fergal O'Keefe, the owner of Hearns,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27my hotel for the night, can tell me all about it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Great to see you. - Thank you very much.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34I see outside that it says that this was the headquarters
0:15:34 > 0:15:38of the Charles Bianconi stage coach system from 1815.
0:15:38 > 0:15:39Tell me about that.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41He actually set up the headquarters here
0:15:41 > 0:15:46for the first public transport system in Ireland in 1815.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49He actually came from Italy. He actually was a peddler.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52He walked up to 30 miles a day around the country
0:15:52 > 0:15:54and obviously when you're doing that,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56he noticed how bad the public transport system was.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00He had a great opportunity, actually, at the Battle of Waterloo.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02After that, that's when he had his big chance,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06because basically there was a glut of cheap horses and cheap grain
0:16:06 > 0:16:09that went on the market and he used that opportunity
0:16:09 > 0:16:12to set up his business, but actually, when he started first,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the demand wasn't great. It didn't really take off.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Bianconi had arrived in Ireland as a penniless 15-year-old,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and he wasn't about to let his business fail.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28To drum up custom, he set up a rival service in another name,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33and developed a fierce, but fake, rivalry between the two.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Word quickly spread and passengers bought tickets
0:16:35 > 0:16:40simply to experience the thrill of the race from Clonmel to Cahir.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45His stagecoach network quickly spread nationwide and,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48embracing the railways' rapid expansion,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51it included many feeder routes to stations.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54I have to say, the town is so proud of him.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55He was a great visionary.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58He also set up the first Catholic university in Dublin.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01He was an investor in that. He also set up the national bank.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03He was also the mayor of Clonmel for a couple of years
0:17:03 > 0:17:06and he didn't take a salary during that time.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- So Ireland was very happy to borrow this Italian.- Exactly, yeah.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Revived and ready for a new day of discovery,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28my first destination is in Clonmel.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34This is the courthouse in Clonmel, where my Bradshaw's tells me
0:17:34 > 0:17:39"the O'Brien pronunciamento was knocked on the head in 1848,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41"the leader of which has returned to his native land
0:17:41 > 0:17:43"a wiser and better man
0:17:43 > 0:17:47"having been pardoned by Her Majesty Queen Victoria."
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Now what's interesting to me is that a guide book published
0:17:50 > 0:17:55in the 1860s is still recalling a political event from 1848,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57so it must have been pretty important
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and worthy of further investigation.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05With no train link, to find out more, I need to travel
0:18:05 > 0:18:0922 miles north by road to the townland of Farrenrory,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12close to the village of Ballingarry,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15where I'm meeting author Willie Nolan at the Famine Warhouse.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- Willie, hello.- Oh, hello, Michael.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19William Smith O'Brien, who was he?
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Well, William Smith O'Brien was a member of an aristocratic family,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26the O'Briens of Inshikren, but he was also a member from 1843
0:18:26 > 0:18:30of the Repeal Association which was meant to repeal the act of union.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31To give Ireland home rule.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33To give Ireland a form of home rule.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37So how does he become involved in events in 1848?
0:18:37 > 0:18:42O'Brien was going around the country to organise the Irish league
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and to actually establish military clubs.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49It was a twofold, pronged attack on the British system -
0:18:49 > 0:18:53your military organisation and your political organisation.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54But of course what happened is,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59the British government was moving pretty quick to sort out the affair
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and they brought in a number of acts in Parliament,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and the one which really started all the problems here
0:19:04 > 0:19:08in some respects was the suspension of habeas corpus.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10So people could be put in prison without charge?
0:19:10 > 0:19:12It was basically internment without trial.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16And because they knew that the young Irelanders, Irish confederation,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18had publicised all their efforts in the newspapers -
0:19:18 > 0:19:21they had their own newspaper called The Nation -
0:19:21 > 0:19:22they knew who was involved.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30A proclamation put a £500 price on O'Brien's arrest
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and a troop of 46 policemen
0:19:32 > 0:19:35under the leadership of a Sub-Inspector named Trant,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37set out for the pursuit.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42But these were dangerous times for the authorities in Ireland,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45and it was Trant and his policemen who were pursued
0:19:45 > 0:19:49as O'Brien's pro-independence Young Irelanders
0:19:49 > 0:19:53forced the police to take refuge in this widow's house in Farrenrory.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59O'Brien comes to this window here, and he says to the police inside,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02"I'm Smith O'Brien, I'm as good as an Irish as any of you
0:20:02 > 0:20:04"and I want to make peace."
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Sub-Inspector Thomas Trant ordered the police to fire,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and in doing so, one man was shot dead,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12one man was badly injured and died a couple of days later
0:20:12 > 0:20:14and a few more people were wounded.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17How was the siege eventually resolved?
0:20:17 > 0:20:19The siege was resolved by the intervention
0:20:19 > 0:20:22of Father Philip Fitzgerald, the local Catholic curate.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24Father Fitzgerald rides up to the front window here
0:20:24 > 0:20:28and attempts to negotiate with Trant, who appears at the window.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Now, there are various kinds of aspects
0:20:30 > 0:20:33of what Father Fitzgerald said and didn't say,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36but what I think he said is that if they surrendered their arms,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38they would be allowed to go free.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42But that didn't appeal to Trant and he said no,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45we're quite pleased to be where we are.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47We're very secure, we've a very solid house,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and he was all the time expecting re-enforcements
0:20:49 > 0:20:53from the other police stations, and this is actually what happened.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59What happened to O'Brien after the siege?
0:20:59 > 0:21:03O'Brien was in safe hiding for a week after the siege,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05and just nearly exactly a week later,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08he turned up at Thurles railway station,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and a railway guard named Hulme came up to him and said,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15"You are Smith O'Brien and I arrest you in the name of the Queen."
0:21:15 > 0:21:17It says here, "Remember '48".
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Now, how important is it in Irish history, do you think?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24It's very important, because you could say the schedule of title
0:21:24 > 0:21:28to Irish nationalism, there are references to six occasions
0:21:28 > 0:21:31in which The Irish took up arms to secure independence
0:21:31 > 0:21:32and this is one of them.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Well, Willie, you've really brought to life for me
0:21:36 > 0:21:38a very substantial part of Irish history. Thank you.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39Thank you.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Back to Clonmel, to take the train to my last destination of the day.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Beautiful though it is to watch
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Ireland's green fields race past the carriage window,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58it's more exciting to see the railway lines
0:21:58 > 0:22:00stretching out ahead of the train,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and for the brief run from Clonmel to Waterford,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I'm going to ride in the cab.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12So, Raymond, how long a run is it into Waterford?
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- 40 minutes.- And is it quite nice countryside?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18It's lovely, yes. It's a nice, scenic line.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21TRAIN HORN SOUNDS
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Of my next stop, Waterford, Bradshaw says,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40"It has a thriving provision trade with Bristol and Liverpool
0:22:40 > 0:22:43"and is provided with excellent quay room,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47"and water deep enough for ships of a thousand tonnes."
0:22:48 > 0:22:50With its ready access to the sea,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Waterford has been a substantial port since Viking times.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58But its railway heritage most interests me.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01One of the things that impresses me about railways
0:23:01 > 0:23:04is that even though steam engines have been replaced,
0:23:04 > 0:23:09the basic engineering concept of metal wheels on metal rails
0:23:09 > 0:23:12is unchanged in 200 years. Here at Waterford,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16I'm going to see some other aspects of current railway technology
0:23:16 > 0:23:19that even George Bradshaw would recognise.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Stephen, hello, I'm Michael. - Hello, Michael.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31This really is a signal box built for railway enthusiasts,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34built across the line like this over a bridge. That's quite unusual.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37Yes, I haven't seen any others like that in this country, anyway.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39How old do you think it is?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- 50 or 100 years old, maybe more. - Yeah.- Before my time anyway.
0:23:42 > 0:23:43HE LAUGHS
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Now, you've got here a variety of signal levers.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51These control semaphore signals of the old-fashioned sort, yes?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Most of the signals there are semaphore signals.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59The first railway semaphore signal in Britain and Ireland
0:23:59 > 0:24:03was installed on the London to Croydon line in the 1840s.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06A horizontal signal always means stop,
0:24:06 > 0:24:12but whether "proceed" is indicated by an up or down arm
0:24:12 > 0:24:16depends on which system each railway employs.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20The trackside signals are worked manually by the signalman
0:24:20 > 0:24:23who pulls a lever, which also moves a red or green glass
0:24:23 > 0:24:28in front of the lamp, so the signal can be identified in darkness.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31- Do you mind if I give it a pull for you?- Yeah.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33How many weeks' practice did this take?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37You didn't have your Weetabix this morning.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39- I'll let you do it, Stephen.- OK.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46In Waterford, I come across another example
0:24:46 > 0:24:51of Victorian railway heritage at Kilmeadan Station.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54In the United Kingdom, we have heritage railway fever.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56There are fewer lines in Ireland,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59but I am about to go on the longest stretch now open
0:24:59 > 0:25:02which is on the Waterford, Dungarven and Lismore railway,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06which was originally opened in 1878, after my Bradshaw's was published.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10And today there are families, festivities and balloons.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- Hello, Maria.- Hello, Michael. You're very welcome.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Congratulations on your railway, because this really has been
0:25:16 > 0:25:19quite an effort, hasn't it, to get it open again?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It has indeed, yes. It was a long effort,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24but I tell you, it's well worth it.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26We've been operating now for 10 years and it's kind of gone
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- from strength to strength ever since.- How long a track is it?
0:25:29 > 0:25:33We've actually got 10km of track. We only operate on 8.5km.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35I've heard this line called the Duke's railway line.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Why would that be?
0:25:37 > 0:25:40It was actually the Waterford- Dungarven-Lismore railway line,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and the Duke of Devonshire was the main shareholder in this line,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45hence it was called the Duke's line.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49This new line terminated at Lismore,
0:25:49 > 0:25:54the Irish seat of William Cavendish, the 7th Duke of Devonshire.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57As the chairman and main shareholder of his railway,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00the duke ensured that visitors travelling by rail to his castle
0:26:00 > 0:26:03would be impressed by his local station,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06which he had built from expensive Portland stone.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13What are your future hopes for the railway?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Our future hopes are to extend the track
0:26:16 > 0:26:18from Bilberry right to Waterford City,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21so that people can get on in the city and come out
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and experience some of the beauty of County Waterford
0:26:23 > 0:26:26while they're staying in the city. And at that time,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I would hope we'd be operating with a steam engine.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Can you imagine a steam engine going from Kilmeadan
0:26:31 > 0:26:34all the way into the city, down the quays
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and picking up in Waterford city? I think it would be unique.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40It'd be the only Irish city with a steam engine.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42That'll be the day I come back.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54In case the Duke of Devonshire is watching,
0:26:54 > 0:26:59I want to thank your ancestor, sir, for giving us this lovely railway.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03There are plans to re-extend it to the city of Waterford.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06For the moment it only goes as far as Bilberry
0:27:06 > 0:27:11to the south of the city centre, so that's where I'll be getting off.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23In Britain, the railways are closely associated
0:27:23 > 0:27:25with the Industrial Revolution,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29but even in rural Ireland, the trains made as big an impact
0:27:29 > 0:27:32on things like agriculture and sport.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34On this leg of my journey, I've encountered things
0:27:34 > 0:27:36that most evoke Ireland -
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Tipperary, butter, Gaelic football,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and of course, rebellion against the British.
0:27:46 > 0:27:47On the next leg of my journey,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51I'll try my hand at cutting marble, Victorian style...
0:27:55 > 0:27:57It just suddenly fell away!
0:27:57 > 0:28:01..uncover 19th century Ireland's surprising industrial heritage...
0:28:01 > 0:28:02It's a monumental mill, isn't it?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Really impressive. Looks like a fortress.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10..and learn how the railways helped to bring motorsport to the masses.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13They estimated that there would have been almost a million people
0:28:13 > 0:28:15- spectating on that event. - You're not serious.
0:28:15 > 0:28:16The first time there was ever a gathering
0:28:16 > 0:28:18of that amount of people in Ireland.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd