Bianconi, Charles (Carlo) (1786-1875)

Irish transport entrepreneur. Born in Lombardy, Italy, he came to Ireland as a travelling salesman specializing in prints and small artworks. On opening a craft shop in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, in 1806, he became aware of the acute transportation difficulties of the region and in 1815 initiated his own horse-drawn carriage service, carrying passengers and goods around Tipperary. Rising demand enabled him to expand both the extent of his operation and the size of his carriages; by the mid-1840s a large fleet of ‘Bians’ covered a road network of over 5,000 km/3,000 mi. His coaches remained popular until challenged by the expansion of the railway system in the later 19th century.