Donegal’s John Cassidy - the literary GAA man retires from Dublin Bus

Thursday 15th August will be the last working day with Dublin Bus for John Cassidy from Clogher, County Donegal. 

An Operational Support Supervisor with Dublin Bus, he will hang up his headphones and leave Central Control after almost four decades. 

One of the most colourful and versatile employees in the history of CIE he was described by one of his former Divisional managers, as “A most dedicated supervisor. He could grasp the finer points of any situation, was tenacious, logical and innovative and always applied rules and regulations with common sense.”

One of John’s many talents is writing. Patrick Kavanagh said that the Ascot Gold Cup was the only sporting event mentioned in Ulysses so Joyce mustn’t have considered sport very important. 

But he also said that no one could write a comprehensive account of Irish life that ignored the Gaelic Athletic Association. John Cassidy reckoned that nobody could write a history of CIE and ignore Gaelic games. 

So, having spent decades as a steward in Croke Park, he brought out a book, “Buses, Trains and Gaelic Games” which records the contribution that transport workers made to the GAA. Where did John’s interest in Gaelic games start? There wasn’t a great tradition of hurling around Clogher, Barnesmore or Clar.

In his memoir “From McGettigan’s Field to Gaelic Park” John wrote: “Like most young people growing up in Donegal in the early 1960s, I dreamt of one day playing for my county in an All-Ireland Football Final. We would listen to the late, great, Michael O’Hehir as he gave a blow by blow account of games one hundred and fifty miles away. 

“Once the match was over we would assemble in McGettigan’s field and replay the game. Two older boys would select the opposing teams: everyone present was included which meant we often played twenty a side. As our pitch consisted of the entire field this was no problem.

“ With the goalposts (four jackets) in place the game would begin. It would end for one of the following reasons: Hunger, darkness or a pitch invasion by McGettigan’s cattle.” And John did play in Croke Park not in an All-Ireland final but in the 125th Anniversary games on 8th October 2011. He was aged 58 at the time.

There were four charity matches played on that historic day on behalf of the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Special Olympics Ireland. And who do you think procured the hallowed ground? Transport Gaels PRO, John Cassidy.

He produced a DVD, “Transport Gaels G.F.C. 125” to record the achievements of various transport teams involved in the GAA since 1886.

A founder member of CIE Writers’ Group he was contributed to the two collections of transport workers writings, “There’s Love and There’s Sex and There’s the 46A” and “It Happens Between Stops.” 

In the mid-90s, with colleagues John Brady and Kevin Fitzpatrick, they set up a recycling programme which raised funds to purchase two computers for The National Council for the Blind of Ireland. Later with Kevin Fitzpatrick they rescued from the jaws of obscurity every in-house publication of CIE from 1945 until 2000. This project resulted in a DVD “Down the Decades with Link and Nuacht.”

Happy retirement, John.