William Dargan
Irish railway engineer · Ireland · On the map · Scientists · Lived 1799 to 1867 · aged 67
William Dargan MRDS was arguably the most important Irish engineer of the 19th century and certainly the most important figure in railway construction. Dargan designed and built Ireland's first railway line from Dublin to Dún Laoghaire in 1833.
William Dargan is read about 12 times a day, in 6 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 20 August 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?Media & music
About this person
In total he constructed over 1,300 km of railway to important urban centres of Ireland. He was a member of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) and also helped establish the National Gallery of Ireland. He was also responsible for the Great Dublin Exhibition held at Leinster Lawn in 1853. He also designed and oversaw the excavation of reclaimed land in Belfast known as Queen's Island, previously known as Dargan's Island. His achievements were honoured in 1995, when the Dargan Railway Bridge in Belfast was opened, and again in 2004 when the Dargan Bridge in Dublin, a new cable stayed bridge for the Luas light railway, were both named after him.
