0
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:10,029
In 1 840, one man transformed
travel In BrItaIn and Ireland.

1
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,991
HIs name was George Bradshaw,

2
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:17,511
and hIs raIlway guIdes InspIred
the VIctorIans to take to the tracks.

3
00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:19,588
Stop by stop,

4
00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:21,551
he told them where to travel,

5
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:23,910
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,075
Now, 1 70 years later,

7
00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,671
I'm makIng a serIes ofjourneys across
the length and breadth of these Islands

8
00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,678
to see what of Bradshaw's world remaIns.

9
00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,233
I'm in the middIe of a deIightfuI
journey that iII take me

10
00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:00,954
from the RepubIic of IreIand
into Northern IreIand,

11
00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:03,196
foIIoing my Bradshaw's GuIde

12
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,788
across tracks that were Iaid
in the 19th century,

13
00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:10,630
when there was one IreIand, Iiving
under the reign of Queen Victoria.

14
00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,598
On thIs leg, I'll be unravellIng
the mystery of Ireland's pagan past...

15
00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,030
That is a most extraordinary
set of stones.

16
00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:22,957
I suppose, Stonehenge-Iike.

17
00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:26,709
..seeIng the technology
used by VIctorIan stargazers...

18
00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,230
Now, John, that I do recognise
as a teIescope.

19
00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,158
..and travellIng
on a 19th-century country raIlway,

20
00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:36,352
lovIngly restored to lIfe.

21
00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,232
I might think I was in the wrong pIace,

22
00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,352
if it weren't for
the teII-taIe drift of smoke.

23
00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,472
I'm almost halfway through explorIng
the hIstory of 19th-century Ireland.

24
00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,239
HavIng seen the raIlways' bIrthplace
In DublIn,

25
00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:54,635
I'm followIng theIr expansIon north,

26
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,433
towards the IndustrIal powerhouse
of BeIfast

27
00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,836
and my fInal destInatIon
of Derry/Londonderry.

28
00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:06,357
BegInnIng In Dundalk,
thIs stretch takes me over the border,

29
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,313
where I'll see how
thIs regIon's complex hIstory

30
00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,831
has shaped the raIlways,
fInIshIng up In rural County Down.

31
00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:19,396
I'II be getting off at DundaIk in search
of what my Bradshaw's GuIde caIIs

32
00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,832
''rude vestiges of antiquity,
which consist of earthworks,

33
00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,838
chiefIy designed
for sepuIchraI purposes,

34
00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,033
cromIechs, and other reIics of
pre-Christian ages,

35
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:36,075
stiII numerous and in severaI instances
extremeIy curious.''

36
00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,193
And that has, indeed,
excited my curiosity.

37
00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,631
The cromlechs referred to In my
guIdebook means ''crooked stones''.

38
00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:48,309
One of Ireland's fInest examples
Is close to Dundalk.

39
00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,513
I'm gettIng off
at Dundalk's VIctorIan statIon,

40
00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,189
desIgned by the famous engIneer
WIllIam HemIngway MIlls,

41
00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,072
and opened In 1 894.

42
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,273
What a beautifuI station.

43
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:08,871
DundaIk, wonderfuIIy preseRVed
and beautifuIIy kept,

44
00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,790
ith its IoveIy fIowers,
just Iooking great on a summer's day.

45
00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:21,556
The VIctorIans were fascInated
and somewhat obsessed by death.

46
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,719
AncIent pagan monuments lIke cromlechs,
whIch honoured and Interred the dead,

47
00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,958
drew artIsts and scIentIsts alIke
to these mystIcal stones.

48
00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:33,148
In Bradshaw's day,

49
00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,238
tourIsts from Dundalk
could stroll up from the statIon,

50
00:03:36,360 --> 00:03:38,032
but, to follow In theIr footsteps,

51
00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:40,958
I'm usIng
a more modern form of transport.

52
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,992
The cromIech I want to visit
is on the edge of a goIf course,

53
00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,714
so a buggy is the way to go.

54
00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,071
NormaI train seRVice iII be resumed
when possibIe.

55
00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:57,516
The cromlech Is easy to spot, standIng
out Incongruously amongst the goIfers.

56
00:03:58,400 --> 00:04:02,791
WeII, that is a most extraordinary
set of stones.

57
00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:04,956
I suppose, Stonehenge-Iike.

58
00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,230
No idea what it does, what it is.

59
00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,796
Hugh Smyth knows the story
of thIs curIous structure.

60
00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,469
- Hugh. This is a cromIech, is it?
- It's a cromIech, yes.

61
00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:15,715
And what is a cromIech?

62
00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:21,039
(Hugh) It's actuaIIy an ancient tomb,
dating back to the NeoIithic peopIe,

63
00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,720
approximateIy 4,500 to 5,000 years ago.

64
00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:26,229
This is where they wouId have buried
their peopIe.

65
00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:30,035
- That's extraordinariIy oId.
- OIder than Stonehenge.

66
00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,435
OIder than the pyramids of Egypt.

67
00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,358
The stones' true purpose
hasn't always been understood.

68
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:41,508
They've even found a place In IrIsh
mythology as a bed for gIants.

69
00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,598
WhIle some VIctorIans correctly
assocIated them wIth tombs,

70
00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,598
others belIeved they were used
for human sacrIfIce.

71
00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:54,038
My Bradshaw's GuIde
describes it as ''curious''.

72
00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,111
I think the Victorians did actuaIIy
find it interesting, didn't they?

73
00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:04,030
They found it very interesting,
because they had resurrected

74
00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,833
a beIief and an interest

75
00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,554
in spirituaIity and paganism.

76
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,399
They wouId have come here,
on many occasions,

77
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,158
to Iook at this curiosity.

78
00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,432
In the 19th century, poets and artIsts
of the RomantIc movement

79
00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,949
harked back
to pre-IndustrIal Innocence

80
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,469
and were fascInated by ancIent belIefs.

81
00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:28,155
But at the same tIme

82
00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:31,795
the VIctorIans were makIng
great strIdes In scIentIfIc study.

83
00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:34,388
The foundatIons of modern archaeology
were laId,

84
00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,195
whIle geologIsts began to unlock
the secrets of rocks.

85
00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,430
Hugh, these are cIearIy massive stones.
What do we know about them?

86
00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:49,395
We know that the three standing stones
are native to the mountains here.

87
00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,718
The top capping stone
is not native to here at aII.

88
00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:55,831
It is native to the Mourne mountains,

89
00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:59,999
which Iie across CarIingford Lough
in County Down.

90
00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:04,835
A theory Is that these ancIent people

91
00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:09,192
transported thIs 46-tonne stone
more than ten mIles,

92
00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:13,359
brIngIng It across the 2.5 mIle-wIde
Lough, usIng rafts.

93
00:06:14,640 --> 00:06:17,712
It tops what was once probably
the rocky gateway

94
00:06:17,840 --> 00:06:21,435
to a much bIgger structure,
covered In earth or stones.

95
00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,233
VIctorIan vIsItors
could test theIr skIll here,

96
00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:28,079
spurred on by a local legend.

97
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,715
If you can manage
to Iand a stone on top,

98
00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,798
good Iuck iII foIIow you
aII the days of your Iife.

99
00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:36,831
That's weII worth trying for,
isn't it?

100
00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:38,279
Yes. You have to try.

101
00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,395
- BriIIiant!
- Very weII done!

102
00:06:56,480 --> 00:07:01,873
I thInk It's tIme for me to quIt whIle
I'm ahead and return to the raIls.

103
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,070
I'm back at DundaIk Station,

104
00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,795
cIose to something which didn't exist
in Bradshaw's time, the border.

105
00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,754
But whose existence,
from the earIy part of the 20th century,

106
00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:16,431
mightiIy affected raiI seRVices
and peopIe Iiving either side of it.

107
00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,152
In Bradshaw's day,
the UnIted Kingdom of Great BrItaIn

108
00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,955
and Ireland was a sIngle state,
governed from WestmInster.

109
00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,638
As the 19th century drew on,
calls grew for IrIsh Independence,

110
00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:34,230
but those demands met dogged
resIstance, especIally In the north.

111
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:40,430
In 1922, after decades
of sometImes vIolent dIspute,

112
00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:42,630
the IrIsh Free State was establIshed,

113
00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,832
but Northern Ireland remaIned
part of the UnIted Kingdom.

114
00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,835
Suddenly, the Island of Ireland was
dIvIded by an InternatIonal border

115
00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,269
and Dundalk became a frontIer town.

116
00:07:57,920 --> 00:07:59,956
RetIred statIon master Brendan McQuaId

117
00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:03,152
Is showIng me how thIs left Its mark
on the statIon.

118
00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,158
I'm guessing this gate
is of some historic significance?

119
00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,430
It's very significant, yes.

120
00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,393
That fence there was erected in 1922.

121
00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,672
PeopIe disembarking had to be
customs cIeared here at DundaIk.

122
00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,439
So this gate was cIosed aII aIong.

123
00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,552
That barrier ran the whoIe Iength
of the station.

124
00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:28,117
PeopIe couIdn't exit the station untiI
they had been cIeared by the customs.

125
00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:34,311
PartItIon changed lIfe overnIght
for people lIvIng near the border.

126
00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,069
A shoppIng trIp to BeIfast
became an InternatIonaljourney.

127
00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:41,837
Border controls were set up

128
00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:45,157
and duty levIed on goods
brought across the frontIer.

129
00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:49,592
For raIlway passengers, that meant
customs offIcers searchIng the traIn.

130
00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:53,756
So, what sort of things
were they Iooking for?

131
00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:54,915
Anything.

132
00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,477
VirtuaIIy everything that was bought
in the north wouId be dutiabIe here.

133
00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:03,798
Things Iike butter were cheaper
in the north than the south,

134
00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:08,232
so peopIe going to visit in the north
brought back butter ith them.

135
00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,399
Copies of the News Of The World, which
wasn't soId this side of the border.

136
00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:16,195
Tide washing powder, Mars Bars,
anything.

137
00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:21,155
It wasn't untIl the 1990s and the
creatIon of the SIngle European Market,

138
00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,430
that the customs controls were removed.

139
00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:27,712
For the people of Dundalk,
they were a way of lIfe for 70 years.

140
00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:29,114
What did peopIe think of it?

141
00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,232
PeopIe were very disgruntIed,
MichaeI, and very annoyed.

142
00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,353
Of course, they did everything that
they possibIy couId to hide the goods.

143
00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,029
The stories that we hear about peopIe
hanging goods

144
00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,199
from the door handIes of trains,
Iadies buying cIothes in the north,

145
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:47,357
putting them on top of the cIothes
they were wearing going down.

146
00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,630
As regards what peopIe thought about it,

147
00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:52,035
there was nothing
they couId reaIIy do about it.

148
00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,197
It was the system at the time
and peopIe just accepted it.

149
00:09:55,320 --> 00:09:58,915
PartItIon faIled to brIng peace
to the regIon.

150
00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:02,077
WIth the advent of the so-called
Troubles In the late 1960s,

151
00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:06,113
securIty was tIghtened further
and servIces were often dIsrupted

152
00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,629
as the raIlway lIne became a target.

153
00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,955
How Iong might the interruptions Iast?

154
00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,230
Some might onIy Iast two or three hours,

155
00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:16,033
depending on where the device
was supposed to be.

156
00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:22,679
I remember one Christmas, around 1980,
and it went on for about three weeks.

157
00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,792
The raiIway Iine was cIosed
for approximateIy three weeks.

158
00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:28,195
That was the Iongest that we had.

159
00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:34,558
The express servIce from DublIn
to BeIfast was renamed the EnterprIse

160
00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,990
In 1947 and I'm about to experIence

161
00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:41,271
just how seamless
crossIng the border has become.

162
00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:48,312
- HeIIo, are you the station master?
- Yes. Anthony Monaghan is my name.

163
00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,431
I'm taking the Enterprise in a moment.

164
00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:53,233
When I get to the border,
what iII I notice?

165
00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:56,636
There's actuaIIy no reaI difference
in the crossover.

166
00:10:56,760 --> 00:10:59,479
There's a signaI post
and the signaIs change.

167
00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,433
There's no signage,
it's just straight on in.

168
00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:05,552
So, when I go over the border,
I'm going to change country,

169
00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:07,557
I'm going to change currency.

170
00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,956
You use kiIometres here in the RepubIic,
they use miIes in the North.

171
00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:13,355
But there's no stopping,
just straight through?

172
00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:18,031
Straight through, yes. Straight into
Newry and then, as you say, that's it.

173
00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:19,036
Do I need that?

174
00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,196
Oh, you won't need your passport,
you're OK.

175
00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,550
- Just aII the way through?
- AII the way through.

176
00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:24,999
A great reIief. Thank you.

177
00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:28,078
- No probIem, MichaeI, thank you.
- I Iove your station.

178
00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,038
The Enterprise. Beam me north.

179
00:11:40,680 --> 00:11:44,275
My next statIon Isjust 15 mIles
and 20 mInutes away

180
00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,676
There's barely a clue
that I'm crossIng a frontIer.

181
00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,030
This is the Enterprise
crossing the border.

182
00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,392
I've had a wonderfuI time in the
RepubIic, so, fareweII, RepubIic,

183
00:12:00,520 --> 00:12:02,875
I'm going back to the United Kingdom.

184
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:08,028
I don't need my Euros any more.
I can put them away.

185
00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:15,957
My Northern Ireland adventure begIns
at the fIrst stop north of the border.

186
00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,948
Newry Station. So, my journey continues
now in Northern IreIand.

187
00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,353
It's tIme for me to fInd my bed
for the nIght

188
00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:35,710
and I'm headIng out
towards the east coast

189
00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,593
In search of a slIce
of RaIlway Age opulence.

190
00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,713
Unfortunately, It's no longer possIble
to get there by traIn,

191
00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:44,671
so It's the bus for me.

192
00:12:46,680 --> 00:12:50,673
Buses are aII very fine, but when
you're on them, you do miss the train.

193
00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:58,751
My busjourney Is takIng me towards
the seasIde resort of Newcastle,

194
00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,236
backed by the splendour
of the Mourne mountaIns.

195
00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:05,079
In the 19th century,
raIlway buIlders had grand plans

196
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:08,909
to transform thIs town
Into a magnet for the tourIst.

197
00:13:11,240 --> 00:13:15,631
The oId raiIway station at NewcastIe
County Down has no more trains.

198
00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,228
But the raiIways have Ieft their mark
on the pIace

199
00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:23,229
in the form of this 19th-century
resort hoteI, the SIieve Donard.

200
00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,396
This is where I'II spend the night.

201
00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,753
ThIs ornate VIctorIan hotel was buIlt

202
00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:34,908
by the BeIfast and County Down RaIlway
Company and opened In 1 898.

203
00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,992
The hope was to lure busInessmen
from BeIfast to a luxurIous retreat,

204
00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:43,635
and before I turn In, I want to hear
about the hotel's heyday

205
00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,115
from manager John Toner.

206
00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,800
What was the standard
of accommodation when it opened?

207
00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,388
Very high. Every room had its own fire

208
00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:56,275
and it had the highest pubIic areas,
Iike biIIiard rooms.

209
00:13:56,400 --> 00:14:00,154
It aIso had a draing room,
reading rooms and writing rooms.

210
00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:04,034
There were Turkish baths
and hot seawater baths.

211
00:14:04,160 --> 00:14:06,879
It reaIIy Iaid the path weII.

212
00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,276
And wonderfuI views of mountain and sea?

213
00:14:10,400 --> 00:14:14,632
Yes, it's in the heart of Dundrum Bay,
Iooking out to the Irish Sea.

214
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:18,833
You can see it to your Ieft. On a cIear
day, you can see ScotIand to your right.

215
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:20,154
You can see the IsIe Of Man.

216
00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:24,432
I think I've chosen weII. I'II sIeep
weII, ith this wonderfuI sea air.

217
00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:26,039
- I'm sure you iII.
- Thank you.

218
00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:27,309
- Good night.
- Bye.

219
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:44,234
After a good nIght's rest,
It's tIme for me to rejoIn my route.

220
00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:49,152
An upIifting view of sea and mountain
puts a spring in my step,

221
00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:51,157
as I go back to the raiIs.

222
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,469
I've retraced my steps to Newry,
to contInue my journey north.

223
00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:01,390
It's had a statIon ever sInce 1 855,
but the latest IncarnatIon

224
00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:04,637
Is thIs modern buIldIng,
opened just two years ago.

225
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,839
Newry Station has the feeIing
of an airport terminaI.

226
00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:11,598
Very new indeed.

227
00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,038
HeIIo, how you doing?
Oh, you're for BeIfast?

228
00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:18,230
Yes, going to Portadown.

229
00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,549
PIatform Two.
The train's coming in now, OK?

230
00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:24,999
Upstairs, over the bridge.

231
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:26,917
- Thanks. Bye.
- Bye.

232
00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:33,835
Once agaIn, I'm travellIng
on one of the smart express traIns

233
00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:36,633
that speed between DublIn and BeIfast.

234
00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:41,276
But traIn travel hasn't always been
thIs comfortable, or thIs safe.

235
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,994
I don't know about you,
but when I get on a train,

236
00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,554
I never think about
the possibiIity of an accident.

237
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:49,831
But Iet's face it. Over nearIy
two centuries of raiIway history,

238
00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,633
there have been
some appaIIing disasters.

239
00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,433
The consoIation, perhaps,
is that the worst of those

240
00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:59,519
Iead to improvements in procedures
and reguIations.

241
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:05,509
I'm leavIng the traIn at Portadown.

242
00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,758
These days, It's as close
as you can get by raIl to Armagh,

243
00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:13,555
the sIte of one of the 19th century's
most shockIng accIdents.

244
00:16:14,280 --> 00:16:17,829
Track Inspector Urban Magee
has been researchIng the story.

245
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,713
- Urban, heIIo.
- HeIIo, MichaeI. PIeased to meet you.

246
00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:25,470
It's good to see you. I'm interested
in the Armagh raiI disaster of 1889.

247
00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,910
It's gone down in history.
What was the cause of it?

248
00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:32,191
What happened was, there was a Iarge
number of passengers

249
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:35,278
coming out of the train at Armagh,
in 1889.

250
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,839
As a resuIt,
they put extra coaches on the train.

251
00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:43,431
The engine provided wasn't capabIe
of puIIing the train up the hiII,

252
00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,916
coming out of Armagh Station,
so the train staIIed

253
00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,635
and the driver decided to hook
the first four coaches off the train

254
00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,355
and bring those on to a nearby station.

255
00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,116
At the tIme, carrIages dIdn't have
theIr own contInuous brakIng system,

256
00:16:59,240 --> 00:17:02,835
so to stop the remaInIng eIght coaches
rollIng down the hIll,

257
00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,633
the crew placed stones
beneath the wheels.

258
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:08,833
It was a technIque
that was to prove fatal.

259
00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:14,719
When he had come back, the stones had
crushed from underneath the wheeIs

260
00:17:14,840 --> 00:17:19,436
of the rear eight and they had roIIed
back down the hiII into Armagh Station

261
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:21,357
and coIIided ith a train coming out.

262
00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:22,799
How big was the disaster?

263
00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:25,992
At that time, 88 peopIe died.
SeveraI hundred were injured.

264
00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:29,510
There was a totaI of 1200 passengers
on board the train.

265
00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:32,632
It was Ireland's worst dIsaster
sInce the bIrth of the raIlways

266
00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:35,593
and revealed some serIous flaws
In the system.

267
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:39,952
WouId the signaIman not have known the
train hadn't cIeared out of the patch,

268
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:41,911
when he aIIowed the next train through?

269
00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,431
No. At that time, that section of track
was controIIed by time inteRVaI.

270
00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:50,633
So, the signaIman just Iet the train out
at a certain amount of time,

271
00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,228
usuaIIy an hour
after the other train had Ieft.

272
00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:58,036
He was confident that train had Ieft
the portion of track and it hadn't.

273
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,038
Soon after the dIsaster,
an Act of ParlIament was passed

274
00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:06,711
requIrIng raIlway companIes to Introduce
better brakIng and sIgnallIng

275
00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:11,436
and settIng In traIn raIlway safety
features that we now take for granted.

276
00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,870
A modern sIgnal box contaIns
sophIstIcated technology

277
00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,993
desIgned to ensure
that such an accIdent could not recur.

278
00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:21,588
On this board,
I wouId stiII be abIe to see

279
00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,632
these different sections of Iine
controIIed by a signaIman?

280
00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:29,151
Yep. There's bIock sections
aII aIong this paneI here.

281
00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:32,238
Trains wouId not be permitted to pass
this signaI,

282
00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:34,510
unIess the section of Iine is cIear.

283
00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:38,838
So, I guess, when we have these
reaIIy appaIIing disasters,

284
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:40,837
in the worst cases at Ieast,

285
00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:43,952
some kind of good comes out of it,
some improvement?

286
00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,958
WeII, there's usuaIIy Iessons Iearned
from everything.

287
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:55,638
Armagh lost Its statIon In the 1950s,
but my 19th-century guIde

288
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,911
gIves the town's fIne buIldIngs
an approvIng revIew.

289
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,157
It sIngles out
''the well-organIsed observatory,

290
00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,432
contaInIng transIt, zenIth sector,
mural cIrcle, telescope,

291
00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:08,437
electro-meter, etcetera''.

292
00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:13,109
As telescope Is the only word
I recognIse, I've come to look for that,

293
00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,312
helped by observatory lIbrarIan,
John McFarland.

294
00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,796
He's leadIng me to the observatory's
oldest Instrument,

295
00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:22,559
one of the very few such devIces
left In the world.

296
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,911
What a magnificent object, John.

297
00:19:26,040 --> 00:19:30,591
Yes, this is the so-caIIed
Troughton EquatoriaI TeIescope,

298
00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,870
manufactured in 1 795

299
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,470
by the firm of John & Edward Troughton,
of London.

300
00:19:36,600 --> 00:19:40,434
Here's the actuaI teIescope. Quite smaII
by modern standards, of course.

301
00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,632
But Iarge enough for the purposes
of the astronomer in those days,

302
00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:46,991
working out positions of stars
on the sky.

303
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:53,039
The observatory was founded In 1 789
by the ArchbIshop of Armagh,

304
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:54,115
RIchard RobInson,

305
00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,755
who had a vIsIon of turnIng Armagh
Into a unIversIty town.

306
00:19:58,560 --> 00:20:00,551
And hIs observatory, thereafter,

307
00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:03,194
pushed forward our understandIng
of the unIverse.

308
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,431
The Victorians were very keen
on acquiring scientific knoledge.

309
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:11,439
- Did it have a practicaI vaIue?
- Indeed it did, MichaeI.

310
00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,438
The work of the astronomer in those days

311
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,915
was caIcuIating the positions
of stars on the sky,

312
00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:18,917
for the use of navigators and saiIors.

313
00:20:19,040 --> 00:20:21,190
For exampIe,
in crossing the vast oceans,

314
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:26,030
you had to know exactIy where you were,
otherwse you couId crash into rocks

315
00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:28,594
or be miIes out
at the end of your journey.

316
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,194
MappIng the stars was a mammoth task
that kept the astronomers busy

317
00:20:33,320 --> 00:20:35,356
for most of the 19th century.

318
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:36,629
But In the mId-1 800s

319
00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,753
thIs vItal project was threatened
by a proposed new raIlway.

320
00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:45,473
You had to have absoIute steadiness
in your instruments.

321
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:50,116
They couIdn't move, in any way,
whiIe you were making your obseRVations.

322
00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,994
The astronomers feared that
vIbratIons from passIng traIns

323
00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:55,792
would ruIn theIr results.

324
00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:59,071
Although they couldn't prevent
the arrIval of the raIls In Armagh,

325
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,031
observatory dIrector Thomas RobInson

326
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:05,790
successfully blocked the lIne from
comIng wIthIn 700 yards of the buIldIng.

327
00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:09,435
In your professionaI opinion,
wouId that be a safe distance?

328
00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:14,031
No. I think Robinson eventuaIIy
regretted that short distance.

329
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,276
He thought it shouId have been
much further,

330
00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,676
once he had compIeted his experiments

331
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,395
on the disturbing forces
of the Iocomotives.

332
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:27,637
DespIte theIr precautIons,
the astronomers ended up throwIng out

333
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,718
a great many results
due to vIbratIons from traIns.

334
00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,308
LuckIly, It dIdn't force
the observatory to close.

335
00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:38,639
Astronomers here today work
on state-of-the-art astrophysIcs.

336
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:42,230
But they haven't entIrely abandoned
theIr VIctorIan Instruments.

337
00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:48,519
Now, John, that I do recognise
as a teIescope. What vintage is this?

338
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,870
(John) This dates from 1885.

339
00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:54,470
It was buiIt by the firm
of Howard Grubb, of DubIin.

340
00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,388
This is the teIescope we'd use nowadays
for making our visuaI obseRVations.

341
00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,557
- (MIchael) You're stiII using it today?
- Very much so.

342
00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:04,513
As and when the weather permits,
of course.

343
00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:08,315
For exampIe, you can rotate
the dome here right around,

344
00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,556
by puIIing on this rope over here.

345
00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:13,437
- May I have a go?
- Yes, pIease do.

346
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:22,358
(MIchael) That operates amazingIy
smoothIy, doesn't it?

347
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,359
- (John) Yes, it's cooperating today.
- That's a great design in itseIf.

348
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:32,073
But I'm just so impressed
that you're stiII using a teIescope

349
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,557
which is, Iet's face it, nearIy as oId
as my Bradshaw's, and just as usefuI.

350
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:37,635
Yes, indeed.

351
00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:44,075
For the last leg of my journey,
I'm takIng a detour from my route.

352
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,236
I've been followIng the maInlIne
that lInks DublIn and BeIfast,

353
00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:50,920
but In Bradshaw's day,
there were other, smaller lInes

354
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,156
radIatIng from the Island's
second cIty.

355
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:56,870
I've come to the County Down
countrysIde

356
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:00,356
to see what's left of
a celebrated VIctorIan servIce.

357
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,436
(cow moos)

358
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:05,028
A remote pIatform,
set amongst fieIds and cows.

359
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,435
I might think I was in the wrong pIace,

360
00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,870
if it weren't
for the teII-taIe drift of smoke.

361
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,914
I'm catchIng a steam traIn on the
DownpatrIck and County Down RaIlway.

362
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,430
It's Northern Ireland's
only full-sIze herItage lIne

363
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,279
and It runs on a route
created In Bradshaw's day.

364
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,036
The orIgInal BeIfast & County Down
RaIlway

365
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:31,754
was buIlt by the famous engIneer
WIllIam Dargan,

366
00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:36,032
the man behInd Ireland's
very fIrst raIlway, back In 1 834.

367
00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:39,672
But lIke so many IrIsh lInes,
It's had a chequered hIstory.

368
00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:43,237
En route to DownpatrIck,

369
00:23:43,360 --> 00:23:46,670
I'm gettIng the story
from volunteer Robert GardIner.

370
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,190
Was this buiIt for passengers
or freight?

371
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,950
Passengers. The BeIfast And County Down
RaiIway was primariIy a commuter Iine.

372
00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:00,153
This Iine to Downpatrick was
specificaIIy for the IegaI profession,

373
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:05,718
so that judges and barristers couId get
from the crown court in BeIfast

374
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:07,910
down to the courthouse here
in Downpatrick,

375
00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,919
which was a major IegaI centre
in the county.

376
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:13,678
A siIky-smooth ride for them?

377
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,429
AbsoIuteIy. If you compare
the stagecoach ride from BeIfast

378
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:19,755
in smaII, pitted roads

379
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,031
versus this brand-new maRVeI
of wondrous technoIogy,

380
00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:24,832
there wouId be no comparison.

381
00:24:26,480 --> 00:24:28,994
But the lawyers had to waIt
for theIr commuter lIne.

382
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,390
The route was fIrst proposed In 1 845,

383
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,512
when Ireland was In the grIp
of the Great FamIne,

384
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:38,835
whIch began wIth the potato blIght

385
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:41,428
and went on to kIll
around a mIllIon people.

386
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,156
There's a myth that UIster
wasn't as badIy affected

387
00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,033
as the rest of the isIand
of IreIand was.

388
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,073
But it was affected and the Irish
famine did have a severe impact

389
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,191
on the construction of this Iine.

390
00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:00,596
The famIne delayed constructIon
of the lIne for a decade.

391
00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:02,278
But by the end of the 19th century,

392
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,233
Ireland's raIlways
had spread ImpressIvely.

393
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,555
They reached theIr zenIth In the 1920s,

394
00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:12,515
when the Island was crIss-crossed
by nearly 3,500 mIles of track.

395
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,198
But It wasn't to last.

396
00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:16,993
(MIchael) When did this IoveIy Iine
cIose to the pubIic?

397
00:25:17,120 --> 00:25:21,671
1950. It was one of the first Iines
in Northern IsIand to be cIosed.

398
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,509
The Iine had been run into the ground
during the Second WorId War.

399
00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,154
At that time,
the Stormont government decided

400
00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:30,635
it wasn't worth the whiIe
keeping it open.

401
00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:35,117
''And we'II cIose it.
Sure, buses iII do the work instead.''

402
00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,879
ThIs pattern was repeated
across the land.

403
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:42,039
Today, fewer than haIf the lInes In use
at the peak remaIn In servIce.

404
00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:46,120
Here In County Down,
the track was lIfted

405
00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,708
and It was thought that
the lIne was hIstory,

406
00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:53,470
untIl, In the 1980s, a group of
enthusIasts decIded to revIve It.

407
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:57,639
1982, that was a pretty troubIed moment
in the history of Northern IreIand.

408
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:01,548
It was at the height of the TroubIes,
and, I suppose,

409
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:06,231
it wouId be an unIikeIy time
for a heritage raiIway to be set up.

410
00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:11,832
I think we were just Iucky,
in terms of the poIitics of this area

411
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:14,633
were very favourabIe
to promoting tourism

412
00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:17,228
and, basicaIIy getting on ith Iife,
at that time,

413
00:26:17,360 --> 00:26:22,832
and ensuring that something kept
going on, beyond the TroubIes.

414
00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:25,989
The herItage project had a slow start,

415
00:26:26,120 --> 00:26:29,237
wIth lIttle fundIng
and barely any facIlItIes.

416
00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:31,794
Now It's popular wIth
DownpatrIck's tourIsts.

417
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:33,876
They come to where St PatrIck,

418
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,276
who Introduced ChrIstIanIty to Ireland,
Is belIeved to be burIed.

419
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,234
The herItage lIne Is run entIrely
by volunteers lIke Robert,

420
00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:45,592
who do everythIng from drIvIng traIns
to restorIng vIntage coaches.

421
00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,958
Oh, dear, this is a poor oId wreck
of a thing, isn't it?

422
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:53,117
(Robert) It is, but it's pretty much
a gem in our coIIection.

423
00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,118
We found it in a fieId
near HiIIsborough,

424
00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,276
being used as a chicken house.

425
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,632
But if I mentioned the names
King George V, King George VI

426
00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:05,228
and King Edward VII
and a bunch of chickens,

427
00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:07,430
what do you think they'd have in common?

428
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:11,030
- They aII used this carriage?
- They've aII used this carriage.

429
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,357
This was the BeIfast & County Down
RaiIway's royaI saIoon.

430
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:18,678
It was buiIt in 1897,
for Queen Victoria's jubiIee.

431
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:22,759
And, one day, you iII restore it,
to regaI spIendour.

432
00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:26,030
It's a labour of love
for the volunteers

433
00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,754
and remInds us of the raIlways'
Important part

434
00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,553
In thIs regIon's hIstory.

435
00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:33,477
For the first time, my raiIway journey

436
00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:36,433
has taken me across
an internationaI border.

437
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:41,031
During my Iifetime, reIations
across that border have been strained

438
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:44,994
and raiI seRVices have been disrupted
by poIiticaI issues.

439
00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:50,880
But, since Bradshaw's day, whenever
peopIes were abIe to Iive at peace,

440
00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:53,833
the train was there to smooth trade

441
00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,235
and to Iink famiIies and friends.

442
00:27:59,360 --> 00:28:03,353
On the next leg of my journey,
I'll be takIng a step back In tIme...

443
00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:07,951
This is Iike making a visit to the earIy
stages of the IndustriaI RevoIution.

444
00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,358
..seeIng what gave pleasure-seekIng
VIctorIans the thrIll of theIr lIves...

445
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:17,190
(woman) Being 30 to 70 feet
above the sea crashing beIow you.

446
00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:18,878
A big change from city Iife.

447
00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:23,437
..and takIng to the tracks In the latest
hIgh-tech traIn sImulator.

448
00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:25,869
(gasps) Oh!

449
00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,514
Oh, dear! I think we're aII dead!