Unique archive donated to Railway Heritage Museum in Donegal town

A Donegal GAA stalwart who has spent most of his working life with CIE/ Bus Eireann has donated archives from the old CIE Magazine “Nuacht” to the Railway Heritage Museum in Donegal town this week.
John Cassidy from Clogher has spent practically all his working life with the national transport company and has many great tales to tell of his time there.
He said: “During a recent refurbishment at the head offices I noticed that the skips outside were being filled very quickly and I took some time out to see what was being disposed off.
“There were just volumes of the magazine carefully bound and preserved in the skip and ready for the incinerator.
“I managed to get most of them and have since spent many happy hours reading through them.
“It was an exceptionally well produced magazine, full of photographs and interesting stories from around the country.
“It was very reader friendly but in its own way portrayed the importance of the busses and trains to the local communities.”
He continued: “Many people do not realise that there was a strong connection between the GAA and CIE in the early years . There wasn't the same amount of cars and private coaches and supporters from every county depended on the bus or train to get them to the matches.
“The journeys indeed were longer but there was always a great atmosphere. Of course there would always be one stray on the way back and one could be waiting for hours searching the pubs around Dublin.”
For many years John had the enviable job of being a steward at Croke Park where he always had a first class view of the action.
“As many of your readers would know a steward is supposed to keep a very neutral stance but as Donegal started to emerge as a force the neutrality became more difficult.
”I remember back in 2014 when we met up with the “invincible” Dubs. The first half we were still hanging in but on the second half, we took off and decimated them.
“I just couldn't take any more, took off my yellow jacket and ran down the tunnel.
In 1992, I nearly caused a strike as a result of wearing my Magee jersey driving the bus around O'Connell St. I was told that I had to take it off and get the blue shirt on again.
“One of the Dubs at the meeting intervened and said, “Let him have his day, it's a once off. We won't be seeing it on Monday.”
“He was right - he didn't see me on Monday but the green and gold jersey got me through the week of celebrations.”
John has many more tales to tell and no doubt we will be bringing you some more.