Famous Irishman - William Dargan

This week's famous Irishman is William Dargan.

William Dargan
(1799-1867)
an engineer, often seen as the father of Irish railways came from County Laois, Ireland. Born in 1799, he constructed Ireland's first railway from Dublin to Dún Laoghaire (then Kingstown) in 1833. He constructed over 800 miles of railway to important urban centres of Ireland. He was a member of the Royal Dublin Society and also helped establish the National Gallery of Ireland.