Pamela and John Glynn roaded in for the steam meeting.

Irish hospitality knew no bounds when the Glynn family and their steam enthusiast friends in Co Carlow went to extraordinary lengths to ‘enjoy the craic’ with Old Glory, as Keith Langston reports.

‘Call anytime’ was the simple and open invitation from well-known Irish steam and vintage enthusiast David Glynn. ‘Sure, we we’ll all be pleased to see you!’
The fact that a warm welcome is assured to any visitors in these parts isn’t in question, but their collective kindness was overwhelming.

I met the Glynn clan at their working bus garage, which stands on the N9 Dublin-Waterford road near Huntsman’s Cross, Fenagh, Co Carlow. The journey there was a pure delight as the region really is a Celtic gem and a popular tourist area.

Even getting completely lost on the way, causing the Glynns to organise an impromptu rescue mission via mobile phone, couldn’t detract from what turned out to be an amazing day. According to the tourist board, Carlow is located in Ireland’s sunniest region but, on the day of my visit, the sun refused to shine. Mind you, that’s about the only thing the hospitable Glynns couldn’t fix!

I was led by the rescue vehicle from the area of Nurney, where the phrase ‘going around in circles’ could have been aptly applied, and was treated to a spectacle guaranteed to excite casual bystanders, never mind hardened enthusiasts.

As we rounded a bend in the road there was the magnificent and surprising sight of four steamers simmering away in front of the Glynn’s garage and, as if to put the top hat on things, the sound of a whistle alerted us to the distant vision of yet another, complete with matching living van, heading up the Carlow road in order to join this specially arranged gathering.

There was also another fine engine in the yard, albeit not in steam, and two more under restoration. Oh, yes, and one of German origin for which the future has yet to be determined.

The Glynns’ Aveling & Porter road roller No 7234 of 1911 with matching living van.

This wasn’t a showground, nor a weekend event. It was a special steaming day organised by the family in honour of Old Glory. Being a Tuesday, it was obvious that the boys and girls involved had all taken time off from their busy lives to steam for us. ‘Humbled’ is the first word that comes to mind for, although the meeting was prearranged, the sight before me was a total surprise.

The family are rightly proud of their home county of Carlow. It is one of the smallest of Ireland’s 32 counties but is blessed by both the rivers Barrow and Slaney and their fertile valleys, which makes it one of the most attractive. The Barrow, once a busy working waterway, is now a big attraction for canal boaters. It has 68km of navigable water and boasts 23 magnificent Victorian locks. “You can,” I was informed, “start on the Grand Canal in Dublin and travel via the Barrow system all the way to Waterford.”

The county’s most prominent feature is the 5000-year-old granite formation known as Browne’s Hill dolmen; and the Blackstairs Mountains, to the east, and the Killeshin Hills, to the west, form attractive backdrops to many a Carlow vista. On a clear day the distant Wicklow Mountains can be seen from the north of the county. The surrounding countryside boasts many signs of early Christian settlements and the region is rich in Georgian country homes, most of which were sensibly built so as to afford the occupants fine river views. The village of Borris is almost entirely Georgian in style and Tullow on the Slaney river is the ancestral home of the famous Wolseley family. Their most famous son, Frederick York Wolseley, gave his name to the Wolseley car.

The Glynns and their friends had put on a great show and it was also heartening to observe that the kit is kept in full working order, not just by the older members of the clan but are equally maintained and operated by its younger set. This bodes well for the future, especially as the family’s two current steam restoration projects are being undertaken by them.

End of the On-line article.
You can read the full article in the latest issue of Old Glory Magazine.