Transport and Communication

Transport in 1900

• People walked most places• Horse and carts also used – taxi service• Trams (open buses) used in cities – ran on

tracks• At first pulled by horses, then electricity• But these were expensive for poor

Longer journeys

• Steam trains – cheap and easy• Three different classes on trains• 1st class – lovely carpets and cushions• 3rd class – wooden benches and shared with

animals

Bicycles

• appeared 1900• Middle class used them• One reasons why women’s skirts got shorter!

1950s on

• 1944 CIE set up• In charge or rail and bus services • Diesel engines replace steam trains• Faster, more efficient

Cars Cars far too expensive in 1900Cost £1000 – remem the wages people gotOnly 250 cars in Ireland then Cars got cheaper in 1950sHenry Ford’s Model T cost 125So became v popular and affordableRaods built with tarmac so cars could driveSo popular that less people used trains and tramsRailways lines and tram lines began to closeNow, overuse of cars causes pollution and traffic

congestion in cities

Travelling abroad1900 – only way was by shipShip industry huge in BelfastLuxury liners crossed the AtlanticAgain, different classes1936 Aer Lingus set up 1st plane – the Iolar1960s – air travel v popular3 airports in Ireland – can you say where?Got cheaperBecame more popular than sea travel

Communication in 1900

• Letters were the common form of communication

• Way of keeping in touch with those who moved away

• Telegrams – used Morse code –expensive • Sent from your post office to a diff post office• Expensive (per letter) so kept short – like early

text messages• So only used for urgent messages

Telephone

• Telephone even more expensive• Invented by Bell in 1876• So only rich people owned them• people would go up to a rich neighbour’s

house to transmit urgent messages

Newspapers

• other main form of communication was newspapers

• irish times – v popular • imported newspapers from England – ‘Sun’

and ‘Guardian’

Changes - Radio1st irish station launched in 1926Called 2RNChanged name to Radio Eireann – when?Played huge role in bringing news to peopleDev communicated his messages by radioBefore, he had to do it in public in crowdsBroadcast news, sport and musicRadios expensiveMany families couldn’t afford oneOften crowded around 1 in a neighbour’s house