Pride of Erin: Three generations recreating classic showman engine

The ‘Pride of Erin’ was a Burrell Showman's Engine, constructed in the early 20th Century and owned and run by the Sharples family in Ballyclare.

It is believed to have been operational until the early 1950s before being dismantled for scrap.

William Sharples was born in 1857 in Broughton, just outside Preston in Lancashire. In the 1901 census he is described as a showman living in Armagh.

By 1929 he was travelling amusements around Ireland and he had three engines, including the Pride of Erin.

Mr Sharples was based out of the Market Yard in Antrim, where he passed away in December 1940. He is buried in Antrim Cemetery.

Steam engine enthusiasts, brothers John and Wesley Glynn from Carlow, are currently recreating the classic engine with the assistance of their father David and their sons Kyle and Charlie.

Speaking to the Newtownabbey Times about the project, Wesley explained: “John and I are the third generation of our family to build steam engines, following on from our grandfather and our dad.

"In August 2020 we decided to embark on this latest effort. We wanted to recreate a famous showman engine and picked the Pride of Erin because of the Irish connection. It would have worked all across Ireland, including Ballyclare May Fair and in Waterford.

"We are two years into the build and things are progressing well. We estimate it will take around six to eight years in total to complete our remake. It’s being done in our spare time. The castings have been made by David Ragsdale and the boiler is being assembled in the UK. The rest of the engine is being made in our shed and the parts are being made in house.”

Mr Glynn, who works as a maintenance electrician added: “My brother was an engineer. He drives trucks now. We would come from a mechanical family and the interest has always been there. We’ve restored around five steam engines dating from around 1900 to 1917.

"Nothing on this scale has been done before. We started with nothing except drawings of the original engine. It’s a challenge, but it’s not new to us. We have all the equipment to do it as well as the experience from our father.

"When we have the project completed, we’ll be taking the engine to Shane’s Castle and we’ll also be wanting to take it to Ballyclare. We’ll want people to see what we’ve been able to create and what can be achieved.

"We want the younger generations to be able to see it and try and get an idea of what people were able to make back in the 1900s.

“The original was scrapped in 1952 and all that remains is the name plate. We’ve traced the plate to a fair in Derry, but we’ll not be able to get it. We’ll be creating a new one.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time working on the engine and our relatives have been very understanding and supportive.”

The brothers have appealed to anyone who has photographs of the original engine to contact [email protected]