Don’t Go Far…
This is the unbelievable, yet true story of two boys, Noel and Keith, who in 1985 took the Dart to Dun Laoghaire and ended up in New York; without any tickets!
Produced by Paul Russell and Ronan Kelly this RTE Radio 1 documentary really brings to life the story of the two boys. It features an interview with the now adult Keith Byrne, news reports, as well as incorporating the sounds of the journey and music from the year; you’ll imagine yourself taking the trip with the two boys!
Click here to listen to Don’t Go Far on Acast podcasts!
Pour yourself a can of Hop-On, turn up the volume and enjoy this funny, heart warming story that only our great city could produce!
Nothing to Declare
The IFTA winning documentary Nothing to Declare, which tells the story of Noel and Keith, is now available to watch on the RTE Player! Keith Byrne and Noel Murray recount their childhood journey for the first time on screen in this nostalgic transatlantic adventure.
Click here to watch the story of Hop On on the RTE Player!
Please note the RTE Player in only available in the Republic of Ireland.
In case you didn’t know Dart stands for Dublin Area Rapid Transport System and it made its first journey at 8am on July 23rd 1984 from Bray
Overheard on the Dart…
Dublin is full of wonderful stories, incidents and characters and often you just have to listen out to hear some of the best short ones!
@OverheardDublin on dart: “I want a romeo and juliet romance!” “ehh, it lasted 3 days and 6 people died, cop on ta fuck!! ” — Paul (@pauldoc_) December 3, 2016
Overheard on the Dart – “We’re considering buying some property in Bulgaria.”
It’s happening again! #CelticTiger — Overheard in Dublin (@OverheardDublin) March 8, 2018
“I can’t let you date any more gingers. Not that there’s anything wrong with them. They always seem bad for you.” –@OverheardDublin Gibson
— Christina Arango Dowling (@fatherdowling) November 11, 2016
#OverheardOnTheDart “Ah jezus girls, you shoulda seen my teeth before I got de braces, I had a gap the size of China”
— Laura Gaynor (@_LauraGaynor) December 21, 2015
“Mommmm why isn’t this our station?” “Because it’s not” “Oh” … “Then why are people getting off”#overheardonthedart #sofunny 😂😂 — Saoirse Lynch (@Seerrsh) April 17, 2015
The Dart fleet started out with just 80 carriages until 1999 when it grew to 154
The entire original fleet, except for four carriages destroyed in a fire in 2001, is still operating after a refurbishment in the late 2000s
First Reports…
In an RTÉ News report, broadcast on 23rd July 1984, reporter Padraic O’Ciardha travelled on the new DART service and got the reaction of some passengers as well as CIE driver Mr. O’Toole. The new system was only partly operational at the time because of an industrial dispute at CIE while the construction of the DART line was the subject of severe criticism from politicians and economists due to the estimated costs ranging from 76 to 113 million pounds.
(Photo from rte.ie)
The busiest day in its history was the 4th July 1996 when the USS JFK naval ship visited Dun Laoghaire
More than 250,000 people travelled by Dart that day
More overheard on the Dart…
“Type in your phone number there”
“Ok. I’ll warn you though, I failed maths in the Leaving though” #OverheardOnTheDart— Ciara O’C (@oc_ciara) July 7, 2015
#OverheardOnTheDart “Sure, if he was a bar of chocolate he’d eat himself…” First time hearing this one & I’m not entirely sure I know what it means – but it made me smile!
— Gutter Bookshop (@gutterbookshop) August 22, 2019
#OverheardOnTheDart ‘Mom put red pesto on my salad, it just doesn’t go with avocado’…… I’m going back to the 27 tomorrow.
— Trish (@a_pisces_fish) September 6, 2016
Almost forgot my best ever #OverHeardOnTheDart yesterday. Bunch of Killiney school girls get on to my carriage. Mid stream-of-consciousness one declares with a hair flick ‘Ew, my hands smell of money’. Eat your heart out @RossOCK — Kate Gunn (@KateTakes5) May 19, 2018
Initially the service ran between Bray and Howth with 25 stations along the way; now there are 31 stations
When the Dart began 25,000 journeys were made every day, now there are up to 75,000 journeys
You’ve probably poured a can of Hop-On as you read this and are enjoying the balance of hop bitterness and malty sweetness. We use Citra hops in the boil then dry-hop it with plenty of Citra, El Dorado and Azacca hops to give the beer hints pineapple and other tropical and citrus fruits. It contains 164 calories and at 4.3% it’s quite low in alcohol.
As you well know we brew our beers to be the perfect accompaniment to food and while Hop-On pairs perfectly with burgers, meats, pizzas and cheeseboards it also goes great with a Dublin dish that’s as iconic as the Dart; the humble spice bag!
We all have our favourite places to order from but next time you are in the mood for one, or haven’t yet enjoyed the gastronomic delight that is a spice bag, here’s our tried and tested favourite spice bags around Dublin.
In addition to food pairing we’ve a couple of Hop-On based recipes on our blog including a Spanish and Chorizo Spanish Rice and Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers.
We’re sure you’ll enjoy the dishes as much as the beer that goes into them!
Serving Our Community
As members of the Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland, please see our joint policy on the responsible consumption of beer.
