Motoring historian Bob Montgomery dips into his archives.
THE SECRET OF HILL 16: The recent news that the GAA is to redevelop the historic Hill 16 at Croke Park led us to wonder if the contractors will encounter the remains of an early De Dion car reputedly buried there after the 1916 Rising.
The car belonged to The O'Rahilly, one of the founders of the Irish Volunteers. The O'Rahilly - the title is a traditional one - was a wealthy, well-educated man and one of the most romantic figures of the period. He opposed the Rising and did his best to prevent it. When he failed, he joined the insurgents, declaring: "If the men I have trained are going into action, then I must be with them." His De Dion was used for carrying arms, but was finally wrecked and ended up on a barricade in Prince's Street.
The O'Rahilly was killed on Friday, April 28th 1916, leading a sortie from the GPO. As he lay dying, he wrote this message: "I got more than one bullet I think . . . it was a good fight, anyhow." The remains of his De Dion were retrieved and buried under Hill 16. Is it still there? Perhaps a reader has knowledge of the final fate of this interesting car.
A FRIEND FOR LIFE: Charles Segrave, whose son was to become the most famous racing driver and record breaker of the 1920s, was a prominent early motorist in Ireland. Like many Irish motorists, he gave his allegiance to the Argyll make.
No doubt he found this sturdy Scottish-built car ideal for the often poor roads in the vicinity of Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, where he lived. Roads, indeed, were something Segrave was well qualified to comment upon, for he had undertaken extensive motoring tours in England and France as well as in most parts of Ireland.
If Irish roads were not up to the quality of those in England or France, there was one area in which, in his opinion, we were much better off - our policemen: "There is a certain stretch of road no doubt known to all who motor - good, level and straight - my car was going fast - a good 35 to 38 miles an hour - and I had just got her into her stride, if I might call it so, with that musical hum which is so delightful to hear, when a policeman held up his cane.
"I pulled up, and he told me I was travelling too fast. I asked him had he ever been in one of these 'yokes'. He said he had not. Would he come for a run? He would. So he sat beside me, and I gradually let the car out till she was doing her level best.
"He sat in his seat with an ecstatic look on his face, and asked me: 'Could I get some more out of her?' I guarantee he'll never stop another motor car as long as he lives. That man is a friend to motorists for life."
Argyll cars, so popular with early Irish motorists, were built by the Hozier Engineering Company which had been founded in 1900. By 1902 they were producing six to eight cars a week and by 1904 this had risen to 15 a week, making them one of the most prolific of European manufacturers at the time.
DRIVE HOME WITH A PYE: Lest we forget, in 1965 car radios were an optional - and expensive - extra fitted to a car. Pye (Ireland) advertised a choice of a six- or 12-volt model "fully transistorised for top performance and minimum battery drain" with medium and long-wave reception at a price of £18.18.0 - about €23.80 - unfitted, but complete with a "universal installation kit".
Aerial and tailored fitting kit were an extra cost. Performance tended to be a bit hit-and-miss dominated by Radio Éireann and BBC long wave on 1500 meters.
Having just been looking at and been deafened by the ICE system - In Car Entertainment to you and me - of a customised car, all I can say is: "Where did we go wrong?"