County Roscommon Land Rover still in top gear after 50 years
Sean Leydon and Jim Callery shaking hands as they did in 1973, when Sean first purchased the jeep from Jim.
Over 50 years on from purchasing a Land Rover from Jim Callery in Strokestown Roscommon man Sean Leydon met with him at a recent vintage car show held in Strokestown Park House with the now restored vehicle.
Sean recalled first meeting the Westward Scania founder about purchasing the vehicle in 1973. “When I went to Jim Callery he said, ‘Sean, it’ll be three months because I’m not an agent,’ and that was fine."
“He told me it would cost 1,725 pounds at the time, and he told me don’t worry about the deposit, which was very decent of him.” The call was made three months later and Sean went to his local bank to withdraw the cash for the Land Rover. Due to the large sum of money he was withdrawing, Sean was sent to the bank manager.
He told the Roscommon Herald how the meeting went with the bank manager. “I didn’t want to let him know I had bought a Land Rover because I had a business at the time, and I said I was buying cattle, because the fellas selling cattle like cash.” When he got the cash, Sean and his wife Rena set off for Strokestown on a nervy drive with such a large amount of cash in what Sean called a “hot time”.
The vehicle was successfully purchased with Jim giving Sean 25 pounds back, which Sean said went towards diesel.
On the Land Rover’s maiden voyage he was fined 500 pounds by customs after a fuel sample was taken. Luckily for Sean his solicitor got 300 pounds knocked off the fine and Sean learned his lesson saying, “I never put in anything other than its proper diesel since". The Land Rover became an important part of the Leydon family and, in 2019, two of Sean’s sons, Aonghus and Sean Óg, decided they would refurbish it.
They enlisted the help of Mick Slattery, Lecarrow, who Sean interviewed to make sure he was the right man for the job. He was given the green light and began working on the jeep in his workshop.
The vehicle still has most of its original parts ranging from its wheels to bumpers, with Sean declining to add power steering to keep it original.
At the recent vintage car show the Land Rover caught the eye of many enthusiasts, even a potential buyer from the Middle-East, but the vehicle is priceless to the Leydon family.
Numerous people recognised the number plate as that of the jeep that used to be driven around Roscommon town.
Aonghus pointed out that since the refurbishment, Sean’s grandchildren will have the same memories of Sean driving the Land Rover as Sean’s own children.
