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Pat Kilfeather was the Gore-Booth chauffeur. He had been polishing the new Wolseley Siddeley since dawn, and he was glad when it passed the butler's inspection.

He took the starting-handle from its rack, carefully inserted it into its guide-hole under the headlamps and cranked the engine into life. There were a few snorts in the beginning, a backfire or two, and then the purring sound of a well-oiled machine.

A fresh rug was placed in the luggage-compartment at the rear in case it got cooler in the evening, and the car-occupants needed a cover for their knees and feet. A spare earthenware jar of petrol was securely fixed in place beside a small bottle of engine-oil, and he made sure that all the tools were in the tool-kit. The tyres were pumped up, and, although at first Pat thought the tyres were hollow to save rubber, he now knew that John Dunlop's invention meant a smoother car-ride.

Lough Gill, County Sligo
Copyright Ken Keane

The family would be touring Lough Gill today, on to Glencar for a picnic, then going to the race-meeting at Strandhill Beach under Knocknarea and would be home for evening tea.

Sligo Leitrim Railway

The 1940s were also difficult for the Sligo Leitrim Railway as the shortage of coal during World War II, had serious effects on the reliability of the trains.

The 1950's saw the railways decline in many parts of Ireland and the closure of the Sligo Leitrim line took place in 1957.

Nowadays, Sligo has good road networks connecting it to Dublin and other cities. The Dublin - Sligo railway is the only rail link from Sligo.

In 2005, the Government announced plans for a Western rail corridor which would restore some of the network which existed in Constance's time.

Sligo airport provides a regular service to and from Dublin.