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A glimpse back to the earliest days of cycling in Northern Ireland mostly related to touring.
We will add bits and pieces as we go along
The wiki link on the development of the bicycle in general. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_bicycle
Earliest days
1836 First use of hobby horse in Dublin, but it didn't catch on and went out of fashion
1850's Quadracycles quite common in Ireland, manufactured by one company in Dublin
1852 William Blood of Co Clare made the first tricycle, later inventing the popular Dublin tricycle
1864 First Irishman known to ride a bicycle (velocipede) Dr Austin Meldon
1869 Meldon founded the first cycling club in Ireland, the Amateur Velocipede club.. In the same year Richard Brennan of Dungarvan was the first to tour Ireland on a velocipede.
1869 First man from Northern Ireland known to ride a bicycle was Professor Everett of Queen's University who toured around the north.
1873 First cycling club in Northern Ireland, the Ariel bicycle club (all had to ride Ariel ordinaries). Later renamed the Northern cycling club. Many other clubs appeared in Belfast in the early 1880's; Windsor, Richmond, Greenisland, Mossley, Cruisers, and Western bicycle club
1883 More clubs in Portadown, Omagh, Newry and in 1886 Ballymena, Cookstown Banbridge
Photo of Northern Cycling club, Ormeau Park,
Belfast about 1880
1884 Ulster Tricycle Club formed. Tricycles were very popular in the 1880's especially with well to do ladies, though probably more an object of conspicuous consumption. Walkers around the Mall in Armagh complained in the local paper about them interfering with their evening strolls.
1884 The ICA (Irish Cycling Association) was formed in Dublin.
1886 First safety bicycles on Irish roads, but club cyclists were reluctant to use them at first prefering the faster ordinary or penny farthing.
1888 John Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre in Belfast, used by William Hume to win a bicycle race in 1889, and helped Mecredey and the Irish team win the English championships in 1890. After this the heyday of cycling had begun but still mainly for the better off classes.
1891 Ulster branch of the ICA set up. By 1897 there were 55 affiliated clubs with 10,000 members in Ulster, rising to 73 by 1899. Many other clubs were unattached, and by the mid 1890's there were clubs in every town and many villages in Ulster. (even the cyclling boom of today dwarfs in comparison)
In those conservative times women were generally not admitted to clubs, though some of them set up their own club such as the Belfast Ladies cycling club founded in 1897, and the Ulster wheel club. The Phoenix cycling club, founded in 1893 had a ladies branch, the Ladies' Phoenix cycling club with 100 members. Dan and Nellie McCann were captains of the male and female branches respectively. In Armagh city the ladies would have to wait until 1905 before being admitted to the local cycling club, when that decision was made at a club meeting. The following Wednesday on the club run to Loughgall the men 'paid particular attention to the ladies and after refreshments at the Rock Tavern the 40 strong group trimmed their lights and made for home under darkness'
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Armagh cycling history
Over the last few years cycling has become a very popular pastime with many newcomers to the sport and new clubs appearing on the scene. There was a time however when cycling was even more popular, in the days before motorcars and motorbikes appeared on our roads.
There is very little known about cycling around the Armagh area in those earliest days before the safety bicycle came along in the early 1890’s, but bicycles were surely rare on the roads before that time. There would have been the odd cycle tourist passing through on a boneshaker causing a local sensation as one cyclist did when he stopped off for a break in Middletown and a crowd gathered round to view the strange machine. There would also have been penny farthing clubs passing through in the 1880’s but although there were local penny farthing enthusiasts, there is no record of such a club existing around Armagh.
The first known cycling club in Armagh appeared around 1892 most of them using safety bicycles and they held weekly Sunday runs from the courthouse. This club was organised by Thomas Reid and Dan Mc Dowell who both married two sisters Roberta and Annie Mann from Hockley. Thomas Reid was an accountant with Armagh City Council while Dan went on to open a cycle shop in College Street. The business D H McDowell and Co thrived and was later expanded to motorbike and car sales. Dan himself was the first car owner in Armagh city with his 1904 Humberette with the registration IB 4.
The cycling club organised regular races from the Portadown road to Richill, involving some pushing and shoving at the finish, and bets were placed by spectators. During this time however, cycling was an exclusive sport for the well off, bicycles being very expensive.
(images from Armagh Guardian. Click to enlarge)
It was in the decade after 1900 that cycling really took off in this area bicycles now becoming more affordable. This period up to the beginning of World War I was a golden age of cycling, a small window when motorcycles and cars were still rare on the roads. Large organised groups and clubs were widespread and night time riding was very popular when the charm of a large collection of flickering oil lamps was enjoyed as a novelty.
There were several clubs around Armagh itself in the early 1900’s each with a large membership; the Armagh Cycling Club, the IOGT cycling club(temperance association), the RIC cycling club and the Picnic Club.
The Picnic club was based around the Killylea area and organised large cycling day trips to places like Benburb Priory or Hope Castle in Castleblayney. Up to 80 would take part and at the destination food and entertainment were provided before returning home at dusk. Families that took part in this club included Leemans, Mills, Donaldson, Knipe, Boyd, Parr , and Matchett among many others.
The Armagh Cycling Club of the time held short weekly runs on a Wednesday evening with up to 40 taking part often returning after dark with oil lamps lit. At a meeting in 1905 chaired by George Hassen it was decided to affiliate the club to the Irish Cycling Association and to allow ladies to take part in club events for the first time. The club also held sporting events at the Palace Demesne with a series of races from 100yds to 3miles, and some of the top racing men of the day were invited to take part.
Cycling clubs were also formed in many of the surrounding towns and villages such as Richhill, Middletown and at Caledon a club was formed by local J.P, C Hearn and made up mostly of solicitors and JP’s.
Also prominent around this time was the Cyclist’s Touring Club, the largest cycling organisation in Britain at the time. Special rates were agreed with hotels and inns throughout Britain for visiting cyclists. One such hotel was the Charlemont Arms in Armagh where a round CTC plaque still remains over the door to this day.
This golden age of cycling started to decline by the start of the first World War. One other factor in this decline was the popularity of motor cycles by that time. Dan Mc Dowell was doing a booming trade in motorbikes and by 1912 a club was formed. In that year local men Billy Humphreys and Simey Sloane took part in the ‘end to end’ reliability trial from Mizen Head in Cork to Fair Head in Antrim. Humphreys rode a 3 and a half horse power two speed Humber and Sloane a Rudge Whitworth both bikes performing perfectly ‘not touched by a spanner from beginning to end’.There was little happening in club cycling during the war and subsequent troubled times, and it wasn’t revived until the Setanta club appeared in the late 20’s.
Sources of information
Cycling in Victorian Ireland by Brian Griffin 2006 A main source of this book was the Irish Cyclist magazine published by Mecredey in Dublin.
The Art and Pastime of Cycling R J Mecredy 1892 Written in Dublin by Mecredey, the great Irish cycling pioneer now a collectors item reprinted recently in America by Michigan Library. Seems to be now sold out.
More links and video clips on cycling history
CTC promotional video from 1955 Follows a group ride from London to Rugby.
How raliegh bicycles were made 1945 Youtube video showing manufacturing process.
How to ride a penny farthing Home made video by penny farthing enthusiast.
Bill Houston part 1 Video of this late Scottish touring cyclist from the 60's
part 2 Features drum up with primus stove
National Cycle Museum Located in LLandrindod Wells, Wales
Online cycle museum Useful resource for identifying vintage bicycles
Veteran cycle club NI . Local division of the veteran cycle club
Irish High Nelly bicycles High Nelly world record event in Durrow, Co Laois
Pete Matthews Video of this penny farthing enthusiast from Dublin
Pete Matthews 2 A display of his penny farthing skills
L'eroica Annual vintage racing bike event in Tuscany. Must have downtube shifters
and toe clips; no carbon fibre
The tweed run Vintage event in London where everyone dresses in period costume, mainly
tweed plus four suits. Very stylish!
Brooks saddles Video about the story of brooks saddles
Classic lightweight bikes Resource for identifying classic lightweight bikes 1930's onwards
Classic rendezvous American site on lightweight classics with British section 1900 - 1983
Hilary Stone Classic and vintage parts for sale
Retrobike forum UK forum on all old school bikes
LFGSS London fixed gear and single speed forums
Early bicycle lighting The various types of early cycle lights. Oil lights were the most common
Lighting up an old oil lamp Bicycle lighting used up until the 1940's
Carbide lamps Lighting up a carbide lamp, an enthusiast''s lamp also used for mining
Cycling in Holland 1950's Short video about cycling in Holland in the 50's.
Vintage Irish cycling photos Collection of photos from early Waterford cycling clubs mostly pre 1910
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