This month the Oireachtas Library is marking 185 years since the first passenger railway in Ireland – the Dublin and Kingstown Railway - by displaying a pamphlet by James Pim, Jr., a key figure behind the railway’s development.
The first train departed Westland Row on the morning of 17 December 1834. By the end of the day almost 5,000 passengers had travelled aboard. Although intended chiefly for freight, the line quickly became established as the first suburban passenger railway in the United Kingdom.
The pamphlet addresses Frederick Shaw, MP for Dublin University, and discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing a national railway in Ireland.
To find out more, visit the digital exhibition of the documents in the display case.