From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
TAKING YOUR CAR ABROAD: From as soon as the motor car began to appear on Irish roads, there were Irish motorists who wanted to take to the roads of our neighbouring islands and further afield into Continental Europe.
Several Irish motorists had motored abroad in the early days when there were only a handful of cars here, most notably Dr JF Colohan and the Hon Leopold Canning (later Lord Garvagh), but almost certainly the first to travel throughout Ireland and Britain were the resourceful Herdmans from Strabane.
They used a French 11/4 hp Empress quad to explore Ireland in 1899 and 1900 before venturing throughout Britain in 1901. EC Herdman and his wife were hardy adventurers who were often forced to improvise to continue their explorations.
In 1903 as many as 1,500 motors came to Ireland at the time of the Gordon Bennett Race and the other events of "Irish Automobile Fortnight", all being winched on and off ships, this being the only way to travel between Ireland and elsewhere at the time. The Automobile Club de France fitted out a ship, the Ferdinand de Lesseps, with workshops for the French racing cars - this also carried a large number of supporters' cars to Ireland.
In 1906 Combridge & Company of Dublin published Round France in a Motor by Charles E Neville of Graiguehoe near Holycross, which describes a most interesting Continental tour in spring 1905.
Today, matters have moved on considerably, and the many car ferries and high speed catamarans which ply their trade between this country and Britain and the European continent are largely taken for granted by motorists - turn-up, drive-on, have a meal and a walk around and it's probably almost time to drive-off at your destination.
Prior to the introduction of the first drive-on/drive-off car ferries in the mid-1960s taking ones car to Britain or the Continent could be quite an adventure. More than a half-century on from the first such journeys there was still no alternative to having your car hoisted on and off a ship on which it would either be secured in the hold or lashed on deck. Not surprisingly, damage was a frequent occurrence and claims were common. Once in a while, a real disaster would strike with the failure of one of the hoist cables, resulting in a vehicle being destroyed.
Yet despite what would appear to us to be the considerable shortcomings of the system there was a considerable traffic to and from Ireland of vehicles. There was also a short-lived airborne alternative in the form of the "Carvairs" operated by Aer Lingus, which could take a small number of cars as well as passengers.
One interesting sidelight on the earliest drive-on car ferry services to and from Ireland is their cost: in 1965 when they first began operating, it cost from £23.8s.0d to take your car on the return trip from Dublin to Liverpool and back. That fare covered two passengers and a two-berth cabin. Even allowing for inflation that represented very good value.
TOURING BY COACH: The first motor coach tour was a six-day trip from Paris to Aix-le-Bains which began on July 11th 1898. The tour was organised jointly by Thomas Cook & Son and the Compagnie Nationale d'Automobiles and cost around £9. The "coach" was a De Dion steam omnibus with open sides. The average speed - on the level - was 16 kph. Baggage limit per passenger was 20 kilos.