The nineteenth century Irish postal service was one of the best in the world. At the time, Ireland was a good laboratory for introducing new technologies such as the telegraph prior to using them in England. In 1789, the introduction of mail coaches brought improvements in roads and opened up commerce between Irish towns. Francis O’Neill describes first leaving Tralibane by mail coach, a mode of transport quickly becoming obsolete with the expansion of rail networks in Munster. Several years later, he would travel by stagecoach to work as a shepherd in the Sierra Nevada mountains of post-gold rush California.
A nice rendition of The New Post Office reel (also known as the Scartaglen reel) from Mandolinquent: