A note on journey times from Dublin as an indicator of changing regional relationships in Ireland – some long-term and some short- term perspectives

Abstract

The changing long-term and short-term influence of Dublin is reviewed in relation to journey time information which can be extracted from timetables for early nineteenth-century mail coaches and for later train and bus services. Travel times from Dublin to some sixteen places across Ireland are examined to demonstrate the expanding and intensifying influence of the Dublin city-region. In 2024 journey speeds to these sixteen places were on average between six and seven times faster than in the mail coach era. At least in relation to public transport, a degree of time-space convergence is evident in some of the fastest travel speeds being to the larger places within the state. However, the emergence of a radial motorway system has meant that, with the exception of travel to parts of the north-west, contrasts in journey speeds are relatively muted.