The Jaunting Car was described by the Dublin Penny Journal in 1832:
This is, properly, an Irish machine. The JAUNTING CAR is almost peculiar to our island. A Scotchman or an English- man on first landing at Dublin or at Kingstown is struck with this peculiarity; but they soon learn to relish so agreeable and handsome a conveyance.
Two years later a Dublin street directory listed a service between Dublin and Enniskerry by Jaunting Car. Buckley’s Enniskerry Coach Office was listed at 21 Chatham Street, in the 1834 Dublin Almanac. The 1840 Almanac listed Francis Buckley in the same address, and the 1846 Almanac, which can be viewed on Google Books, gives more details:
- ENNISKERRY CAR from 21 Chatham street every morning at 8 o’clock through Miltown and Dundrum; leaves MILLER’S hotel Enniskerry at 3 and arrive in Dublin at 5 o’clock in the afternoon
The proprietor at this time was Thomas Buckley. We can see then that the journey lasted two hours, and travelled from the city through Milltown and Dundrum to Enniskerry. Miller’s Hotel is now the Powerscourt Arms Hotel (which coincidentally was taken over by the Buckleys).
Thom’s Street Directory from 1850 shows the Coaching office was still at 21 Chatham Street, but was now run by Thomas Harney. By 1862, the offices were gone. Perhaps the competition from the railway to Bray meant that it was now longer attractive to travel from the city to Enniskerry directly by jaunting car.