‘He had a few of them in his day and we used them to go back to Cork. It was a hell of a journey, 70 miles each way, driving 20mph at best. We had two accidents and I wasn’t in either, which was quite the achievement.’
He said he can vividly recall how fuel shortages led to the collapse of private and public transport during World War II, forcing him to take up cycling. He was working in Dublin at the time and used to cycle to Limerick where he met and fi rst dated his late wife Brigid (Ciss).
Mr Walsh said his fi rst car was an early second hand VW. ‘It had cable brakes and you had to anticipate stopping. That was around 1953. I drove a company car from 1960 until I retired.
‘I am convinced that we have to do something about global warming and pollution. I am a late convert to environmental protection and a bit of a late starter driving an electric car but this is my way of playing my part. My son also enjoys driving the car on longer distances, but I have priority on it.’
Discuss
1. ‘It was a hell of a journey 70 miles each way ...’ Would this be considered ‘a hell of a journey’ today? Give reasons for your answer.
2. What do you think cars will look like in 70 years? Understand
1. What is the headline of this article? 2. What was the first car that John Walsh learned to drive? 3. What reason does John give for buying an electric car? 4. Where does John plan on driving his new car to? 5. What does John tell us about his experience of driving to Cork?
Investigate
Conduct a survey to find out what mode of transport members of your class take to school. Create a bar chart to represent the various modes of transport that students use to get to school.
Create
1. Write a report on the findings from your survey on modes of transport used to get to school. Make some recommendations of alternative transportation modes students could use.
2. Create a print advertisement to promote a car of the future.
