Introduction
In 1825, the world’s first railway carrying fare-paying public passengers opened, triumphantly tackling the eight-mile stretch between Stockton and Darlington in three hours. Just nine years later, Ireland acquired its own first railway, from Dublin to Dun Laoghaire, and the six-mile journey was over in twenty minutes.
THE first railway in Ireland was the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, which opened on 9th October 1834 with a train of eight carriages drawn by the steam locomotive ‘Hibernia’, a 2-2-0 designed by Richard Roberts of Manchester.
The line was paid for by Dublin businessmen, keen to transport goods in bulk between the city and the port at Kingstown, better known today as Dun Laoghaire. Construction was awarded to William Dargan, a farmer’s son from Carlow who had learnt his trade as an engineer under Thomas Telford in England, building the railway from London to Holyhead.
It took just three years for the six-mile-long railway to become a reality, and despite greasy rails, shunting delays and adjustments to the engine, opening-day was a resounding success.
This was a mere nine years after the historic Stockton and Darlington opened in England, but already — much to the alarm of some — the engines were rattling along at thirty miles per hour, completing the return journey in just under twenty minutes.
Précis
Ireland’s first railway line was a six-mile stretch of track between Dublin and the important harbour at Dun Laoghaire, then called Kingstown. Funded by local business, it opened in 1834 and was engineered by William Dargan, a protege of Thomas Telford, and from the opening day itself onwards was a great success. (52 / 60 words)
Ireland’s first railway line was a six-mile stretch of track between Dublin and the important harbour at Dun Laoghaire, then called Kingstown. Funded by local business, it opened in 1834 and was engineered by William Dargan, a protege of Thomas Telford, and from the opening day itself onwards was a great success.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 45 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, just, not, otherwise, since, unless, until, whereas.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Day. Dun. Know.
2 Historic. Keen. Port.
3 Learn. Much. Opening.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
shr (6+2)
ashore. share. shear. sheer. shore. usher.
sharia. shire.
