While possibly not overly relevant for the day that's in it - International Women's Day - today's image takes us from the hallowed halls of the Royal Belfast Academical Institution to the rocky narrow road of the Ballaghbema Pass in Glencar, County Kerry.
Close to Killarney and Dunloe, and more commonly known as the Ballaghbeama Gap today, this is still a
popular tourist driving and
cycling route. With thanks to the eagle eyes of today's contributors, we know that the car we see was attached to the nearby Glencar Hotel, with a suggestion that the hotel driver pictured was either
James Moriarty or (as he'd likely still have been young at the time), a hotel driver predecessor of his....
Photographer:
Robert French
Collection:
Lawrence Photograph Collection
Date: Between 1865 - 1914
NLI Ref:
L_ROY_04513
You can also view this image, and many thousands of others, on the NLI’s catalogue at
catalogue.nli.ie
Info:
Owner:
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Source:
Flickr Commons
Views: 32502
Niall McAuley
Somewhere near here in Streetview?
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
"GLENCAR HOTEL" on the back of the side-car. Thanks megazoom.
Niall McAuley
Their facebook page says they opened in 1790, no help.
Niall McAuley
Glencar Hotel on the 25" map at GeoHive.
O Mac
That could be James Moriarty, occupation "Driver" living in the Glencar Hotel in 1901. Still there 1911. He appears a few times in the collection. catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000322543
Niall McAuley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] James was 18 in 1901 - if this is him it must be towards the end of that date range, I think, as he looks older. Or it could be before 1901, and a different Driver...
sharon.corbet
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gnmcauley https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Well, James Moriarty was a criminal mastermind, after all, so perhaps he's just in disguise ;-)
patrick.vickers1
Is the name on the photograph politically incorrect ?
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
Thanks https://www.flickr.com/photos/gnmcauley for the suggested location - have updated the map accordingly to that general area. (Although I wish there was an option to set a "margin of error" or vagueness factor - as any map pin tends to be very definite). Well done https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia for the eagle-eyed megazoom - have updated the tags to reflect. While we'd love to take https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]'s subject suggestion as fact, without corroboration, we'll just have to reflect it as a rough possibility for now :)
guliolopez
These lads are at it without the aid of the horse. We also had a car taking this hill (or the other side of it), a few years back: www.flickr.com/photos/nlireland/6992065114/
Reconstructing Light
Love it!
O Mac
The side-car was exactly here.... 51°56'28.2"N 9°48'59.3"W The horse? well, a little bit further east.
B-59
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]] I agree - these are the rocks in the foreground: goo.gl/maps/CHvLVCy5sUL2
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
Are those things properly called "side-cars" or jaunting cars? The Great God of Google doesn't seem to know.
O Mac
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/beachcomberaustralia] Google knows everything : ) . The proper name would be Jaunting or Outside Car or side-car for short.. There were also Inside Cars and Tub Traps . The Trap in the picture is an Outside Car.
ɹǝqɯoɔɥɔɐǝq
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Thank you. Outside car explains it, as most google results for side-car refers to motorbike contraptions like the Two Fat Ladies had.
Bwana_Samaki
Are those somebody's clothes folded on the rock just above the hyphen between Balla and Be? The driver is looking right at it, whatever it is
National Library of Ireland on The Commons
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] Derek, it is hard to say, it could be a cap?