Thomond -
Published references
Published references to the Thomond
1925 to 1926
The only contemporary references.
- The Motor News.
[NLI] Offsite.
Per 69 i.
- Autocar,
28 Aug 1925.
- The Motor News.
1962 to 1963
Dick writes his article. But it is not noticed by motoring historians.
- Letter from
Dick Humphreys,
Motoring Life magazine,
Dec 1962.
-
He lists his cars, and mentions "Thomond (Irish make)".
- He is making a completely different point, but the editor picks up on the
really interesting part of the letter and replies: "Tell us about the Thomond".
Which led to Dick's 1963 article.
- This is remarkably similar to the response I got from another editor in 1983.
Which led to my 1985 annual article.
- "The Thomond",
Dick Humphreys,
Motoring Life magazine,
no.170, vol.XIV, May 1963.
1968 to 1983
Motoring historians try to reconstruct information about the Thomond.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars,
by
Nick Georgano,
1st edn, 1968.
- "Curiosities and Mysteries VII",
by Michael Sedgwick,
Veteran and Vintage magazine,
vol.16 no.2,
Oct 1971,
p.32 and
p.33.
-
Letter in response to the previous,
Veteran and Vintage magazine,
Jan 1972.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars,
by Nick Georgano,
2nd edn, 1973.
- First annual Gordon Bennett Commemoration Rally program, July 1974.
- "Ireland and the motor car", pp.25-27.
- See Thomond on p.27.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles,
David Burgess-Wise, 1st edn, 1979.
- The Automobile Treasury of Ireland, Finbarr Corry, 1979, p.26.
- A passing mention on p.332 of
[Mac Eoin, 1980].
- Motor Makers in Ireland,
John Moore, 1982.
- The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars,
by Nick Georgano,
3rd edn, 1982.
- Wheels and Deals, John O'Donovan, 1983.
- This is the first motoring historian to make contact with our family.
My father, Richard, gave him photos and information.
He makes use of the 1963 article.
This was just before I started my research.
-
See p.41
and p.42
and p.43.
- The book confuses Richard with his father Dick.
- Page 205 mentions motoring figure
Pat Flanagan,
who drew up a list of all cars he had seen in Dublin over the years.
The list includes the Thomond.
1983 to 1989
I start my research.
- Letters from me to newspapers, asking for information.
- Irish Independent, 8 Nov 1983.
- Irish Press, 15 Nov 1983.
- Irish Times, 11 Jan 1984.
- Article by Mike Worthington-Williams,
Classic and Sportscar, Mar 1984.
- Request for information, Motor Sport, Apr 1984, p.418.
- Article by Mike Worthington-Williams, Classic and Sportscar, Sept 1984.
- Ireland's First Car,
Mark Humphreys (later Humphrys),
Irish Motor Sport Annual 1985,
Jemma Publications Ltd, Dublin.
Published Dec 1984.
- Thomond stamp.
The Thomond featured in the
"Irish Motoring Classics" issue of Irish stamps,
11 Apr 1989.
- "An Irishwoman's Diary",
Mary Cummins, Irish Times,
19 May 1989.
- Cummins met
Mrs. Adrienne Byrne
and writes about the Jones family and the Thomond car.
-
There are many errors.
She mis-identifies
Richard Thompson
and thinks he is "Richard Jones", a brother of James Jones
who married a "Pauline Thompson".
This gets deeper into confusion when she thinks Pauline worked for James
because they lived near each other.
- She says Richard worked on the Thomond cars.
But that is impossible. He was living in Australia by then.
- I do not think Mrs. Byrne had a previously unknown photo of
Thomond no.1.
I think this refers to a picture I gave her.
- Thomond Motor Car
(letter),
Mark Humphrys,
Irish Times,
29 May 1989.
- I correct some of the previous.
- My own letter needs some correction though.
I was relying on the 1911 census return for where the Jones
children were born, and hence where the family lived.
But the 1911 census return turned out to be highly inaccurate.
-
It took some times to track down the birth certs, but once I did I found
the 1911 census return has these big errors:
Josephine's age is 6 years wrong.
She was born in Co.Dublin not Co.Kildare.
In fact, nobody was born in Co.Kildare.
Also Pauline's age is 3 years wrong.
-
As a result, my whole point no.7 is wrong.
- The Irish stamp year book 1988-89,
June 1989, pp.30-33.
- I gave the stamp artist Charles Rycraft a number of photos,
and he drew a lovely picture of Dick's Thomond no.2 in Connemara,
with the right colour.
- "An Irishwoman's Diary",
Mary Cummins, Irish Times,
4 July 1989.
1993 to date
- The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles, David Burgess-Wise, 1993.
- The Beaulieu Encyclopedia Of The Automobile,
by Nick Georgano, 2001.
-
Past Imperfect column on the Thomond,
by Bob Montgomery,
Irish Times, 23 Apr 2003.
- Item by Christian Manz,
Motor Clasico (Spanish vintage car magazine), No. 192, January 2004.
- Item by Michael Beeney.
Magazine printed for Kilbroney Vintage Show, 2008.
- Item on Irish-built cars.
Irish Veteran & Vintage Car Club quarterly magazine, 2018.