A red Indian memory, and Kilcullen motor regs

Typical Indian motorcycle and sidecar circa 1910.

Memories are tricky critturs, writes Brian Byrne. They hide. Wait in ambush. Jump out of cover when they're the last thing on your mind. But occasionally there's a trigger.

In this case, when Jim Collins gave me a printout of the 'Irish Motor Directory and Motor Annual 1914-1915', I remembered a red Indian.

Nope, not of the Native American variety. Nor even from the sub-continent in Asia. It was a motorbike. And I never saw it. But my grandad often talked about it.

And when I saw the registration number IO 91 in front of James J Byrne's name in the IMD, it kind of made it come to life. And brought both him and my grandmother back too.

The story was a simple one. His Indian bike had a sidecar, in which he used to bring my grandmother about around the time they got married. He had bought it in 1914, from its previous owner Francis R Jackson of Athy. The combination machine ran very well.

But roads were rough and rutted, and bouncing between potholes was all part of travelling, especially on a motorbike. One particular evening, after visiting friends in Castlecomer, grandad was driving his wife Mary Cody home, motoring the bike up Castlecomer Hill. The machine was going exceptionally well, he thought as he got to the top and accelerated.

Too well. He turned his goggled head to smile at Mary. But she wasn't there. He turned and drove back down the hill. Halfway down, a very disgruntled Mary was sitting in the ditch, unhurt but not at all pleased with her situation. Or with him.

But she got over it, because the last time I heard grandad tell the story was at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1965.

By the 1914/1915 registration period there were 477 cars and 364 motorbikes registered in County Kildare, and just two lorries. Those last were to Cassidy's Distillery in Monasterevin and Odlums Flour Mills in Naas.

It's an intriguing feature of the list that a substantial majority had owners' addresses in the United Kingdom, reflecting the numbers of British soldiers — and a few sailors and airmen — serving on the Curragh. Several registrations were to the Secretary of State for War in England, presumably military staff cars.

In Kilcullen itself there were just six cars registered, and six motorbikes, so motoring was a somewhat exclusive thing. Those with cars were Rev PTS Large, Carnalway (IO 1), Joseph Milne, Kilgowan (IO 37), Capt EFW Moore, Dunshane (IO 208), Vivian De Courcy Hughes, Gilltown House (IO 438), Thomas Berney, KIlcullen (IO 567), and William Hopkins, Blackhall Castle (IO 630).

The 2-wheeled motorists (three wheels if they had sidecars) were STB Saunderson, Newberry (IO 33), James Barber, Kilcullen (IO 68), Patrick Berney, Kilcullen (IO 87), James J Byrne, Kilcullen (IO 91), Thomas Doran, Mile Mill (IO 178), and Marmaduke Cramer Roberts JP, Sallymount (IO 601).

At that time there was a total of 20,211 motor vehicles registered in Ireland, of which 10,923 were cars. This represented a significant increase on the previous year (8,259 cars and 7,350 motorcycles).

The IMD was published by Harry Tempest of W Tempest, Printer and Publisher, Dundealgan Press, with offices in Dublin and Dundalk. The 1914/1915 edition was the tenth year, and the price had been reduced from 2s/6d to 1s. The 10th edition had 535 pages of information, including the names and addresses of all registered owners, and a 2-page 'Roadside Car Doctor' section by kind permission of RJ Mecredy's 'Dictionary of Motoring'. The items here ranged from 'Buzz in Coil' (likely cause a short circuit) through 'Knocking in the Engine (could be ignition advanced too much, or want of lubrication, or 'something loose or broken') to 'Sluggishness or loss of Power' (which could have resulted from a myriad of causes related to ignition, carburation, lubrication or excessive wear).

Nothing about lost ladies from sidecars, though ...

I have no idea how long after they were married my grandfather was allowed to keep the Indian motorbike, but since my own father was born in 1916, I guess the days of that particular red family legend were numbered by then.