182:. The victims came from Cork, Mallow, Kenmare, Birr, Laois, Kildare and Dublin, and included Jesse Hall from County Kildare, Daniel and Anastasia McSwiney of Kenmare, TW Jelly of Straboe, John Egan of Birr, Emma Pack of Birr, Kate Hamilton Haimes, (the wife of a mill owner from Mallow, originally identified from a note in her pocket by her maiden name, Kate Smith), Christopher McNally, a solicitor of Dublin, Claire Kirwan from 82 Lwr Abbey St in Dublin, Margaret Leathley from 62 Eccles St in Dublin, Joseph Sherwood a servant boy of the household of Richard Stokes, Cherry Agnes Knapp from London, Margaret Palmer, a cousin of Mrs Knapp, William Bateman a solicitor from Cork, Mrs Latham Blacker from London and four children. A total of £27,000 compensation was paid to victims, the equivalent of €2.37m today.
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and was approaching from behind, so that it might push the train into Dublin. O'Hara was gone 15 minutes when the goods train was seen approaching and, reassured, some of the passengers got back on their train. However, the goods train crashed into the stationary carriages at full speed, smashing
165:
William
Hutchinson from Clownings was one of the first on the scene, having gone to the railway line to investigate the stalled train. Dr Geoghegan tended the injured, and Edward Kennedy, who was hunting nearby, helped summon aid. The injured were kept in the station house, and three orphaned
197:: "The people did not plunder the dead and dying but, on the contrary, assisted with the greatest alacrity and to the utmost of their power." The only criticism at the inquest was of a carter named Connor, from Celbridge, who refused to carry the wounded until he was given
162:
through the first-class carriage at the back of the train, overturning the second-class carriage, shearing the roof off another carriage, and driving the rest one-quarter mile (400 m) the other side of
Straffan Station, reduced to "a heap of ruins".
589:
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1118:
575:
146:
At 6:20 pm on 5 October 1853, the piston rod on a locomotive snapped, stranding the newly introduced noon express train from Cork 975 yards (892 m) south of
Straffan Station, towards
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alleged that the bodies of the dead and the dying were plundered by local people, an allegation disproved by the inquest and condemned by the rival
130:
had only been in operation six years when 18 people died in what is still
Ireland's third-worst railway tragedy, having only been surpassed by the
886:
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The
Economic and Social History Society of Ireland conference: Disaster and Change, Limerick 8 November 2008, Paper given by Eoghan Corry
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occurred on 5 October 1853, when a goods train ran into the back of a stationary passenger train one-quarter mile (400 m) south of
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150:, in a dense fog and gathering twilight. There were a total of 45 passengers in the two first- and three second-class carriages.
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weekly magazine which reports the supernatural, the site of the crash has been haunted by a man with a red lamp ever since.
503:
208:. The fireman, John O'Hara, the engine driver, James Gass, and the guard of the luggage train, James Prey, were arrested.
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Edward Croker
Barrington, a solicitor for the company, who was a passenger on the train, directed the
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The inquest was performed initially at
Straffan station house and adjourned to Barry's Hotel at
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157:, John O'Hara, to signal a warning to a 20-wagon goods train which had been passed in
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indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 20 fatalities
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42:
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236:
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Accidents and incidents involving Great
Southern and Western Railway
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to be carried in locked boxes on all trains in the United
Kingdom.
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The inquiry found that no warning was given by either red light or
571:
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388:"Honourable position in the annals of railway misadventure".
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Evening Mail 7 October 1853, Freeman's
Journal 8 October 1853
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Macneive J: Concise economic history of Ireland (1965)
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Railway accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom
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Corry E and Tancred J; Annals of Ardclough (2004) p57
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394:. No. 21555. 10 October 1853. p. 6.
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211:Commenting on the accident, an editorial in
1147:Train collisions in the Republic of Ireland
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568:
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17:
299:Through peaceful fields they sped to join
290:'Mong heaps of limbs crush'd up in blood,
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1182:Train collisions in the United Kingdom
254:With heat and roar and whistle shrill,
286:'Mong twisted metal, splinter'd wood,
7:
1187:1853 disasters in the United Kingdom
263:"The fog is out to-night," they say,
292:Must wife, child, friend he found.
281:The dear, the well-remember'd form,
277:Love's self, however true and warm,
378:Freeman's Journal, 10 October 1853
120:Great Southern and Western Railway
14:
272:Terror and mortal torments clutch
91:List of UK rail accidents by year
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553:
548:
342:Freeman's Journal 6 October 1853
268:Oh! chiller than October's touch
1152:Railway accidents involving fog
259:Our friends in Dublin city gay,
256:On through the dusk it speeds.
217:of London called for clockwork
528:Valley Falls, Rhode Island, US
295:No hostile cannonade, or mine,
248:The magic car of modern skill,
1:
274:What love expects the while.
303:The city's sprightly throng.
265:And stir the kindly flames.
252:Nor hour nor distance heeds;
134:of 1889 (80 killed) and the
1157:Transport in County Kildare
510:Wheeling, West Virginia, US
64:Collision with failed train
1208:
1192:1850s disasters in Ireland
504:Andover, Massachusetts, US
297:Perform'd the cruel wrong;
288:Half buried in the ground,
1162:History of County Kildare
1142:Railway accidents in 1853
1110:
887:Kildwick & Crosshills
543:
484:Railway accidents in 1853
270:Is freezing many a smile!
261:Expectant name our names;
225:Folklore: The Ghost Story
166:children were brought to
136:Ballymacarrett rail crash
89:
522:Norwalk, Connecticut, US
283:If set before its eyes
279:Might fail to recognise
440:53.321458°N 6.608167°W
318:
100:Straffan Rail Disaster
516:Chicago, Illinois, US
138:of 1945 (23 killed).
21:Straffan Rail Tragedy
445:53.321458; -6.608167
132:Armagh rail disaster
1177:October 1853 events
943:Wennington Junction
878:Shipton-on-Cherwell
436: /
313:Day and Night Songs
188:Dublin Evening Mail
174:Inquest and enquiry
937:Burscough Junction
1129:
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1005:Norton Fitzwarren
565:
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534:Straffan, Ireland
497:Location and date
411:and Jim Tancred:
309:William Allingham
194:Freeman's Journal
96:
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1011:Norwood Junction
863:Bo'ness Junction
691:Reading Southern
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1167:1853 in Ireland
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1095:Wrawby Junction
1017:Esholt Junction
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804:Dalton Junction
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644:Sonning Cutting
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219:event recorders
180:Thirteenth Lock
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413:The Annals of
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243:Allingham Poem
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108:County Kildare
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47:County Kildare
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34:5 October 1853
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893:Abbots Ripton
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771:Welwyn Tunnel
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673:Sutton Tunnel
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232:Ireland's Own
229:According to
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196:
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190:
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185:The unionist
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159:Portarlington
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55:
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37:
33:
29:
24:
19:
16:
1112:
988:
973:
958:
920:
881:
872:
845:Kirtlebridge
792:
747:Kentish Town
741:
684:
614:Philadelphia
533:
421:
412:
409:Eoghan Corry
389:
383:
374:
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356:
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338:
329:
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199:half a crown
192:
186:
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177:
164:
152:
145:
117:
99:
97:
15:
1101:Potters Bar
1077:Potters Bar
1059:Welshampton
1029:Llantrisant
987:(Jun 1889)
972:(Sep 1887)
957:(Jul 1884)
919:(Dec 1879)
880:(Dec 1874)
871:(Sep 1874)
798:Maesycwmmer
791:(Aug 1868)
765:Staplehurst
740:(Aug 1861)
607:Before 1850
601:, 1815–1899
536:(5 October)
530:(12 August)
506:(6 January)
443: /
168:Lyons House
106:station in
1136:Categories
1103:(May 1899)
1097:(Oct 1898)
1091:(Sep 1898)
1085:(Mar 1898)
1079:(Mar 1898)
1073:(Nov 1897)
1067:(Oct 1897)
1061:(Jun 1897)
1055:(Feb 1897)
1049:(Apr 1896)
1043:(Nov 1895)
1037:(Dec 1894)
1031:(Aug 1893)
1025:(Nov 1892)
1019:(Jun 1892)
1013:(May 1891)
1007:(Nov 1890)
981:(Mar 1889)
966:(Jan 1885)
951:(Nov 1882)
949:Inverythan
945:(Aug 1880)
939:(Jan 1880)
917:Tay Bridge
913:(Mar 1877)
907:(Nov 1876)
901:(Aug 1876)
895:(Jan 1876)
889:(Aug 1875)
865:(Jan 1874)
859:(Dec 1873)
853:(Aug 1873)
847:(Oct 1872)
841:(Dec 1870)
835:(Dec 1870)
829:(Sep 1870)
823:(Jun 1870)
806:(Dec 1869)
800:(Jun 1869)
785:(Jun 1867)
783:Warrington
779:(Feb 1867)
773:(Jun 1866)
767:(Jun 1865)
761:(Jun 1865)
755:(Oct 1862)
753:Winchburgh
749:(Sep 1861)
734:(Jun 1861)
728:(Nov 1860)
726:Atherstone
722:(Sep 1860)
705:(Aug 1858)
699:(Jun 1857)
693:(Sep 1855)
687:(Oct 1853)
681:(Jun 1852)
675:(Apr 1851)
658:(May 1847)
656:Dee Bridge
652:(Oct 1845)
646:(Dec 1841)
640:(Aug 1840)
634:(Aug 1838)
628:(Dec 1836)
622:(Sep 1830)
616:(Jul 1815)
518:(26 April)
512:(27 March)
428:53°19′17″N
321:References
206:detonators
122:line from
114:Background
69:Statistics
1123:1900–1999
1071:Menheniot
1065:Penistone
1053:Menheniot
979:Penistone
970:Hexthorpe
964:Penistone
955:Penistone
857:Menheniot
833:Stairfoot
720:Helmshore
703:Round Oak
650:Penistone
431:6°36′29″W
415:Ardclough
391:The Times
214:The Times
148:Baronrath
1083:St Johns
1041:St Neots
1035:Chelford
899:Radstock
839:Hatfield
827:Tamworth
789:Abergele
697:Lewisham
685:Straffan
626:Wetheral
620:Parkside
315:, 1854).
306:—
104:Straffan
43:Straffan
39:Location
1047:Snowdon
911:Morpeth
777:Yanwath
732:Wootton
679:Burnley
524:(6 May)
486: (
418:(2004).
403:Sources
237:Wexford
155:fireman
56:Ireland
53:Country
26:Details
1023:Thirsk
985:Armagh
905:Heeley
869:Thorpe
821:Newark
759:Rednal
638:Howden
632:Harrow
235:, the
142:Events
124:Dublin
82:Deaths
74:Trains
998:1890s
930:1880s
851:Wigan
814:1870s
713:1860s
666:1850s
61:Cause
559:1854
546:1852
488:1853
128:Cork
118:The
98:The
31:Date
126:to
1138::
201:.
170:.
110:.
85:18
45:,
1113:‡
989:‡
974:‡
959:‡
921:‡
882:‡
873:‡
793:‡
742:‡
591:e
584:t
577:v
490:)
477:e
470:t
463:v
77:2
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