The extension of the Dublin & Kingstown Railway to Bray in 1851 transformed the hamlet into Ireland’s version of Brighton or Margate, attracting holidaymakers from all over the British Isles. For over 175 years, trains have been departing Dublin to convey passengers across Ireland; however no train route can compete with the breathtaking beauty and dramatic landscape of the Dublin to Rosslare line.
One man’s dream, determination and personal commitment made this coastal train line possible. His name was William Dargan, known affectionately as ‘the father of the Irish Railways’. After spending the previous 10 years establishing himself as an engineer of the highest standing, Dargan won the prestigious contract to build Ireland’s first railway from Dublin to Kingstown, now Dún Laoghaire, in 1831 and after the successful completion of this line, William Dargan had established himself as an engineer of the highest ranking and was placed in a prominent position as an Irish public works contractor.
Although Dargan became involved in building most of Ireland’s mainlines, it was the coastal town of Bray in County Wicklow and the Dublin to Wexford line that Dargan put a lot of his energies into. Bray is a location whose previous residents include great literary greats like James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. Its more recent movie history with the location of Ardmore Film Studios in the town has seen the rich and famous continue to visit. This is a town which, in the 19th century, boasted cable cars to take tourists to the highest point of Bray Head, a magnificent building housing Turkish baths, and a vast esplanade. It was a town built on one man’s vision – William Dargan’s. He could see Bray’s potential with its seaside location to become one of, if not the most, desired locations on the east coast of Ireland within easy reach of Dublin by train. In 1841 the extension of the railway in England from London to the seaside town of Brighton had transformed the English town with 250,000 visitors from London who wanted to get away from the city. Dargan’s vision for Bray was to make Bray the Brighton of Ireland. Dargan was credited with the transformation of this former one-street town into a developed seaside resort that has since attracted thousands of visitors each year.
Sadly Dargan was thrown from his horse in 1865. He never fully recovered and died in 1867 aged 68 years old.
Bray Railway Station was renamed Bray Daly Railway Station in 1966 in honour of Edward Daly, one of the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. The eastern platform features an interesting set of murals depicting the history of Ireland’s railways. If you follow along the upper path behind Bray head, you will see the one track railway winding its way around the coast. You might even catch a glimpse of a DART or a train to Rosslare.
(Sources: irelandbyways.com, irishrail.ie)
The Cache
The cache is an ammo can, containing plenty of kid friendly swag at the time of placing. Please rehide the container well on the offchance a muggle ventures over to GZ. Please watch your footing here, there are many burrows in the ground, and the grass is long in the summer. There is a less steep path to get to GZ if you follow the main trail along and don’t veer off at the first point. Children and dogs should be supervised at all times near GZ. Please do not attempt to access the cache from the cliff walk; you need to climb Bray Head and walk beyond the cross.
There is a small prize for FTF, STF and TTF
If you have found all 7 geocaches in the History of Bray series: #1 - A History of Bray: The Old Courthouse, #2 - A History of Bray: Martello Tower, #3 - A History of Bray: The Victorian Promenade, #4 - A History of Bray: The Bray Head Inn, #5 - A History of Bray: The Old Railway, #6 - A History of Bray: Killruddery and #7 - A History of Bray: The French School, you can use the following html code ....
<a href=" http://coord.info/GC4XRQQ/"> <img src="https://d1u1p2xjjiahg3.cloudfront.net/f173301a-4d74-43c1-b3b4-edcf1036a724.jpg" border="0" /></a>
.... to have this logo on your profile:
***Congratulations to silver soldier for FTF***