Old black bicycles remind me of Ireland. These vintage cycles are part of our past, and are lovingly referred to as High Nellies.

Long before the car appeared in Ireland and for many years after its arrival, when only a few wealthy people could afford such automated luxury, the bicycle was Ireland's chosen mode of transport.
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The High Nelly As A Symbol Of Ireland
I believe the High Nelly, the vintage black bicycle of my homeland, deserves the status of "symbol of Ireland".
I'm going to add them to my list of iconic Irish emblems, right up there alongside the thatched cottage.

This prestigious title of "symbol of Ireland" is well deserved. So today, let's explore the role these wonderful old bikes played in Irish communities in days gone by.
I hope you enjoy these wonderful photos of old Irish bicycles which have been shared by their creators using a creative commons license. A big thank you to all these generous artists, who allow bloggers like me utilize their works to illustrate our words.

A Transportation Mode For All
The Irish Wheelman, a late 19th century publication was edited by J.C. Percy. In November 1897 he declared:
"Cycling has now found its level, which happily is a very high one. It is no longer a fad or a fancy, but an established factor in modern everyday life… The army of riders is increasing with constant and steady growth, and will continue to enrol in its numbers members of every age, sex, and rank."
And so it appears that by the turn of the 20th century bicycles had truly caught on in Ireland. Young and old, male and female, rich and poor were pedaling around the country.

Transport For Tradesmen
In decades past the High Nelly or tradesman's bicycle was one of the top selling items in rural hardware shops throughout Ireland.
To tell you the truth, that came as no surprise to me. These bicycles were a lifeline in rural Ireland. Ladders balanced alongside the crossbar, as busy workers pedaled around the countryside to get to the job site.
Whatever the task, be it cleaning windows, sweeping chimneys, digging ditches, the tools of the trade were attached to handlebars, carriers and crossbars, often in the most ingenious manner.

A Woman's Bicycle Too
Now, the High Nelly was not just a bicycle for tradesmen. It liberated our grandmothers and mothers allowing them to move around the countryside alone.
They rode their bicycles into town for the messages. Shopping bags were balanced on handlebars and carriers, with women becoming expert cyclists.

They rode their bikes to the dance halls, and leaned their bikes against stone walls when they stopped for a quick court.
At the turn of the 20th century, not everyone was keen on the independence and freedom that cycling gave women, with some even calling for bicycles to be banned for females.

The High Nelly As Movie Prop
These vintage bicycles have featured frequently in movies set in Ireland.
Of course, we all remember Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher, cycling her bicycle around her village in The Quiet Man.
The Ballroom of Romance (1982) was based upon the William Trevor short story and starred Brenda Fricker as Bridie, an unmarried Irish woman in search of a good husband. She rode her High Nelly to the local dance hall, where all she found was the alcoholic Bowser Egan.
These wonderful bikes also featured in a more recent movie about an Irish dance hall. In Jimmy's Hall (2014) 35 High Nelly bikes were used as props.

Michael Collins And The High Nelly
The High Nelly was also famously ridden around Dublin by Ireland's hero of independence Michael Collins. He cycled around the capital anonymously, succeeding in evading his enemies, despite the fact there was a £10,000 price on his head.
The actual bike used by Michael Collins was located by Marty Mannering, who restored it lovingly. Mannering has started a company in Cappamore, County Limerick called High Nelly. He's a busy man building newly made High Nellies for shipping around the world.

Mannering's company even specializes in restoring old bicycles. If you find an old family heriloom in your garden shed, Mannering is the man to help you get it back on the road.
He's even working on refurbishing an old bicycle that was used by a runner for Padraig Pearse in the Easter Rising of 1916.

After a period of 40 years with no bicycles being made in Ireland, it's lovely to know that thanks to Mannering,these beautiful old Irish bicycles are once again being manufactured in Ireland.
Wishing him every success with his endeavors.

Multiple Uses For Old Irish Bicycles
There's something romantic about a crisply whitewashed wall with a vintage bicycle resting against a window sill. I love to spot old Irish bicycles positioned artistically beside old cottages.

Their use as signage for restaurants and businesses simply underlines how much we all appreciate these old modes of transportation.

And let's face it, these black bicycles make perfect planters. Every time I see one, adorned in magnificent blooms a nostalgic sigh escapes my lips.

I spotted this wrought iron replica in the village of Adare, County Limerick a few years ago.

And so, there you have it - my round up of Irish bicycle tales.
After reading my ramblings I hope you too will "get on yer bike" and join me in assigning these national treasures the iconic title of "symbol of Ireland.

Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade

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Mattie Lennon
Not alone was there a call for bicycles to be banned for females but the occasional woman would be , very unfairly, nicknamed "The Bicycle."
Irish American Mom
Hi Mattie - Cruel times indeed for those who didn't conform, but I salute all the brave Irish women who took to their bicycles and pedaled for a more independent way of life.
All the best,
Mairéad
Bill Cokas
Lovely post! Reminded me of renting bikes with my family in Kinsale (although I don't think they were "High Nellies!") and biking to Charles Fort and back. Unforgettable times.
Irish American Mom
Hi Bill - What a lovely bike ride from Kinsale to Charles Fort. There's no place on earth quite like it when the sun shines. Glad to hear you have such unforgettable memories of your time in Ireland.
All the best,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
Mairéad, I'd never heard of the High Nelly before! I especially like the way you've shown them used as planters. What a great idea!
Irish American Mom
Hi Cheryl - I just love those bicycle planters too - a creative way to display both the flowers and the old bikes.
All the best,
Mairéad
T.M.Johnson
As I type this comment, I'm envisioning the shade of Frank McCourt pedaling the streets of Limerick delivering the post on his "High Nelly." As the proud owner--and rider--of a 1976 vintage Columbia "Tourist II" lady's model bicycle, I was compelled to respond to your post. The classic "velocipede" in this day and age of exhaust belching automobiles continues to be a valuable mode of transportation, although it is now a cog in the "green" movement and has its opponents. (Seattle's current mayor allegedly is conducting a "war on cars" and has endorsed city ordinances that favor--and fund--bicycle lanes and trails throughout the city.)
Mark Twain wrote a piece called "Taming of the Bicycle" in which he recounts his experiences with the 19th century pedal pusher. His model was indeed a "High Nellie," a bike aptly named "The Bone Breaker," a design with a Ferris wheel up front and a smaller wagon wheel trailing behind. (I have a photo of a "BB" used as landscape art and would be glad to share it with you if only I knew how.) Although I can't confirm it, I believe it was Twain who said (and I paraphrase: "The bicycle is responsible for more fallen women than any other invention made by man.") In Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" King Arthur's knights ride into battle against Mordred's army on bicycles. I think of the Steve McQueen film "The Great Escape" in which James Coburn's character, one of the very few escapees who reaches safety, escapes Nazi clutches on a stolen bicycle.
My vintage Columbia is not a "High Nellie" but rather a balky "Low Gladys," (When cyclists wearing their space-age helmets and gaudy spandex sports regalia pass us in the Valley, I'm frequently warned: "You need to raise that seat or you'll blow your knees out!) Gladys and I "wabble" (Twain's word for it) our way through our Valley gathering the news. As always, IAM, enjoyed your post. TMJ
Mattie Lennon
I would say to anyone who has even the slightest interest in bicycles to try and get your hands on Flann O' Brien's "The Third Policeman."
Maureen N.
I am still laughing, Mairead! After a bus strike, my Dad had the old black bike refurbished for my Mom so that she could do her errands and go to Mass in the mornings. Fresh paint, bell, new grips on the handlebars, nice basket in front. Lovely. Off she went to Mass and parked it up against the church wall. When she came out after the service, the bike was gone. Gone! It just happened that a neighbour was also at Mass, and he was a police detective. "What's wrong?" he asked my mother. "My lovely bike is gone," she said. She could hardly believe it. At church!
"Describe it to me, Mrs. H., would you." Well, it is black, you know the old style. New paint, bell, handle grips and all on it. " "Does it have brakes, Mrs. H., and what about a reflective light on the back, and a lamp on the front of it?' he asked. "Well, the brakes are not the best," she answered, "and there is no lamp on it, but sure I'm only going around locally, you know."
"Well, well, Mrs. H. " he said taking down all the information. "If I were you, I'd be going back into the church to light a candle for the fellow who stole your bike, because he is going to kill himself on it!"
Dad laughed for years on that remark. True story.
Loved the post, Mairead. Thank you!
Irish American Mom
Hi Maureen - I love your old bicycle story. I well remember the big old lamps we had on our bikes. In my day the lamp needed a huge Everready battery to function. Some riders had fancy "dynamos" that generated energy to light the lamp as you pedaled - but they just added to the pushing power required to move from A to B.
Hard to believe your mother's bike wasn't even safe at church. When I was a student in Dublin bike pinching was terrible. We needed huge locks to chain our bicycles to railings and bicycle stands to try to deter all those bike thieves. And to think we never lit a candle for any bike lifters.
All the best, and thanks as always for stopping by.
Mairéad
Mattie Lennon
In the days when a bicycle repair kit was known as "an Outfit" there was a fellow up our way who wasn't considered too bright. He got a puncture only to discover that he was out od adhesive solution. So, he "stitched" a patch on the tube. It didn't have the desired effect.
Irish American Mom
Well Mattie - it sounds like a stitch in time did not save the day this time. I never heard a bicycle repair kit referred to as "an Outfit". Thanks so much for all the wonderful little insights into Ireland's past which you add to our discussions.
All the best,
Mairéad
Mattie Lennon
It was of course a "Bicycle repair Outfit" abbreviated to an "outfit". You're too young to remember such terminology!
Mattie
Irish American Mom
But not too young to remember repairing punctures as I cycled around Dublin picking up nails and the like. I was a dab hand at fixing a tyre in my day.
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead, an iconic symbol alright, and a useful one at that, now it's on to Halloween,
Brian.
Irish American Mom
Hi Brian - Halloween is just around the corner - can't believe how fast the year is flying by.
All the best,
Mairéad