Dargan, William

William Dargan (1799-1863)

William Dargan (1799-1863)

Carlow-born William Dargan set up his own construction company. His projects included the railway line from Dublin to Kingstown and the Ulster Canal.

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William Dargan (1799-1863)
Wiki Commons

William Dargan (1799-1863)

Carlow-born William Dargan set up his own construction company. His projects included the railway line from Dublin to Kingstown and the Ulster Canal.

Wiki Commons

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William Dargan was born in County Carlow in 1799. He worked with Telford on the construction of the Holyhead road in 1820. Dargan returned to Ireland where he set up his own construction company. In 1834 he completed the railway line from Dublin to Kingstown, the first in Ireland and in the following years constructed hundreds of miles of railway as well as completing the Ulster Canal. Through his company, he built dry docks, reclaimed land, improved harbours, pioneered the development of the seaside resort of Bray in County Wicklow, and was a major investor in Irish industries. Dargan is regarded as being a key influence in the economy of nineteenth century Ireland. He financed and organised the Dublin Exhibition of 1853, losing much money in the process.

To commemorate him, the National Gallery of Ireland had a bust placed in the ground. He refused an offer of a baronetcy from Queen Victoria, who visited his house, Dargan Villa, now Mount Anville Convent.