From the archives of BOB MONTGOMERY, motoring historian
No Under-17s need apply: Nothing, they say, is new, and in the world of motoring it's certainly true. The recent tightening of the application of the law on driving licences and, in particular, on those drivers with provisional licences brought to mind a situation - no doubt one of many such - which occurred when driving licences were first introduced for Irish motorists on January 1st, 1904.
On that date registration marks as well as licences were introduced for the first time and it seems that there were quite a number of "under-age" drivers put off Irish roads as a result.
One such driver, whose story was highlighted in the pages of the Motor News magazine was Miss Violet Hely who was then aged 15 years. That Miss Hely was already an expert and accomplished driver was amply demonstrated to the Motor News writer who attested to being "expertly driven through the streets of Dublin on New Year's Eve 1903 by the lady motorist Miss Violet Hely".
Miss Hely already had her own car, a 10 hp Panhard, and wore a professional-style motoring uniform and was, by all accounts, a serious motoring enthusiast. One hopes her interest in motoring survived this enforced two year lay-off.
Spoilt for Choice: Looking recently at a list of Dublin motor dealers for 1923, this writer was struck by the number of makes then on sale in what was, in comparison to today, a tiny market. The list runs to no fewer than 64 makes of which only eight still survive today.
There are some very exotic names among the list of those no longer with us. Alsando, Deemster, Clyno, the little-known Cluley, Bean, Crouch, Darracq, Charron, Minerva, Hands, Star, Hampton, Albert and Gwynne and many more strange-sounding names. Cars of American origin were surprisingly well represented and included names with which we are still familiar today, such as Chevrolet and Ford, as well as some which have faded in recent years - Durant, Hudson, Overland, Studebaker, Buick and Dodge - as well as more exotic names now entirely disappeared: Oakland, Paige-Jewett, Maxwell and Case.
And the survivors? Fiat, Rover, Vauxhall, Ford, Peugeot, Renault, Rolls-Royce and Citroën.
Mecredy's steam-rolled road map of Ireland: In the early days of motoring the pace of improvement of Irish roads was a constant source of annoyance to Irish motorists.
Many Irish road authorities were slow to undertake the work necessary to upgrade their roads to make them suitable for motor vehicles. Even as late as 1912, steam-rollers and the steam rolling of roads was comparatively rare. So rare, in fact, that the enterprising Mecredy, Percy & Company produced a map showing which roads were steam-rolled. It became a best seller.
Times and needs change, perhaps today someone could produce a map showing which Irish motorways have a central barrier?
The first Irish road fatalities: Motorists today will be surprised to learn that the first recorded fatality on Irish roads occurred as far back as 1869 when the noted naturalist, the Honourable Mrs Mary Ward, was thrown from her seat on the steam carriage of the third Earl of Rosse and fell under one of its wheels with fatal results on Tuesday, August 31st, 1869.
At the inquest the jury gave in a verdict, without retiring, that the deceased came to her death by an accidental fall from a steam vehicle on which she had been riding. Interestingly, there was nothing to suggest that the red flag rule was being observed at the time of the accident.
The first person to die in a motorcar accident was Elizabeth Magee - she was struck by the Marquess of Downshire's car at Lower Dorset Street, Dublin, in 1903.
The first passenger to die in a motoring accident was John Davy, the chauffeur of John Naish-Gray, who died when the car in which he was being driven by his employer (RI 303) went out of control and crashed at Marlton Hill, Wicklow, on September 8th, 1904.