All aboard the ‘Happy Bus’ A special weekly bus service from east Mayo to Castlebar has been a source of independence and camaraderie for older people for 20 years
News Feature
Michael Commins All aboard the ‘Happy Bus’ to Castlebar! From various parts of east Mayo, the social highlight of the week is the Tuesday trip to the county town. And for 20 years or so, Bus Éireann has provided a lifeline for many folks in this sprawling rural region.
Flannelly’s Bus Stop premises provided the regulars with a homely place to rest at Ellison Street over the years. The premises was run by Laurence and Bridie Hennelly, now both deceased. After it finally closed as the ‘bus stop’ premises, members of the Tuesday Club received a hospitable welcome at the Heverin’s Irish House. Now, the new bus stop is located nearer the Traveller’s Friend Hotel on the Stephen Garvey Way.
Last week in Castlebar, I met up with some of the regulars who cherish this service in such a special way. Mary Lyons from Cullatinny, Knock told me how much she looks forward to the outing every week. “It is a great social occasion and it gives us a chance to do a bit of shopping and sometimes to visit friends in Mayo General Hospital. It’s my one day out in the week. At this stage, we nearly all know each other. It’s like a big family occasion.”
Strangely enough, the ‘Happy Bus’ – or the ‘Comfort Bus’ as Morgan Morris from Charlestown likes to call it – is the only direct service between many parts of east Mayo and Castlebar. “The idea was pioneered nearly 20 years ago to give people a chance to go shopping in Castlebar and to visit friends and relations in Castlebar hospitals. It has proved to be a great service not just for the old but the young too. They can enjoy a day’s shopping in the town and have a meal and relax,” says Morgan who tells me that, over 45 years ago, he compiled the local Charlestown notes for The Mayo News for eight years during the time when Michael Foye was the editor of the newspaper.
In the Tesco café shop on Tuesday, the easy and relaxed chat between Helen Conroy from Charlestown, Mary Brown from Kilkelly, Mary Lyons from Knock, Ann Heneghan from Kiltimagh and Morgan Morris from Charlestown encapsulated the very essence of this service. In a world a million miles removed from corporate Ireland, here were the real people sharing the everyday topics of life in the rural west. The rapport between them was easy and born of a shared heritage, a people at home and at ease with themselves and their way of life. Real people and bearers of a proud tradition handed down through the generations.
For the past eight years, Tom Roche from Cooneal near Killala has ‘piloted’ the bus to Castlebar. For Tom, who drives a bus to Dublin three times every week from Mayo, this is more than just a job, it’s a real community service. Listening to the regulars, it is clear that Tom is more than just a bus driver, he is an integral part of the success of this service. Tom Roche comes from that generation of Irish people who still value service to the community and the State above service to the self. It is a noble aspiration which has come under serious pressure with the advent of the Celtic Tiger but which, hopefully will be there long after the tiger has run its course.
“Tom goes out of his way to help the passengers. He has developed a personal friendship with all of the customers and it one of the main reasons why the bus is going as strong as it is. He wheels the shopping to the bus for many of the regulars and nothing is too much for him. This is the kind of Mayo as we knew it and loved it,” says Morgan.
Kiltimagh is the best supporter of the ‘Tuesday Club’ and the bus also picks up passengers in Swinford, Charlestown, Kilkelly, Knock and Balla. It gets into Castlebar around 11.30am and departs again at 4.15pm, leaving ample time for the passengers to attend to whatever takes their fancy.
Rosemary White has been a regular on the bus for the past few years. A qualified doctor in Birmingham, she and her Donegal husband opted to seek out the quiet life and purchased a place near Kilkelly around six years ago. “I very much enjoy this journey to Castlebar along with many of the people I’ve got to know over the last few years. We always wanted to live in the country. It is great to hear the birdsong in the morning. This is a lovely way of life,” says Rosemary, who has been learning the Irish language in recent times.
Helen Conroy from Charlestown is very enthusiastic about the Tuesday Club. “We are like one big family. We all know each other at this stage. If someone gets sick, we all sign a card and send it to them,” says Helen.
Last Tuesday, all the ‘club’ asked us to convey best wishes for a speedy recovery to their colleague Tom Duffy from Kilkelly.
Without doubt, the youngest member of the Tuesday Club last week was Karen Brennan from The Woods, Kiltimagh. “I must say I enjoy the trip with all of them. I might be the baby of the group but they are all lovely people, great characters and always the best of fun. It’s a privilege to be in their company.”
Legendary Mayo supporter Paddy Higgins from Swinford has been a member of the Tuesday Club for many years. “You can’t beat this kind of service. It is very special. Today, I brought my bike to Castlebar on the bus to get it fixed. There’s no place in Swinford that provides such a service. Tom Roche is great to all of us. He knows us all and what we are like. A mighty man, no doubt.”
Morgan Morris reflects on the people who have supported the service over the years. “When the bus reaches Charlestown, it will have on board Paddy Higgins and his wife and daughter plus Jimmy McGoldrick. They will be joined by Helen Conroy, Loretta Egan and myself. We will then pick up Veronica McCudden, Teresa Kenny and Pauline Doherty. Maggie Horan, at 89, is one of our most senior members and we also have Jimmy Callaghan [her brother] and Evelyn Horan.
“Between Kilkelly and Knock, we are joined by Rosemary White, Tom McLoughlin, May Fraine, Mary Brown from Shammer, Marion Campbell from Shanvaghera, Anne Casey, Anne Cafferty, Mary Keane and Johnny O’Brien from Aghamore.
“Passengers are allowed a brief break to go and say a few prayers when we arrive in Knock or get Mass cards signed in the shrine office. On board by now will also be Nora Heneghan, Cloondace, Mary Lyons, Culatinny, Anne Marie Campbell, Paddy Burke, Winnie Lee, Mary Burke, Eithne Egan (a lady for all seasons), Mary Anne Duffy and Jimmy Prendergast.
“Kiltimagh is a great supporter of the Tuesday Club and we usually have on board Mary Anne Duffy, Mrs Conlon, Mrs Malee, John McEllin, Mary Hyland, Peter Joyce, James Corcoran, Tom Walsh (Lisduff), Nellie Conboy and daughter Pauline, Kathleen Barker, Freddie Walsh and her sister Patti, Kathleen McLoughlin (Coogue), Noel and Maureen Beston (Chapel Street), Rose Murtagh and Brian O’Donnell. Pat McDonagh from Manulla and a few others from the Balla and Manulla area join us on a regular basis too.
“A special mention for Maggie Horan who is now close on 90 and who has been part of our bus service in all sorts of weather and enjoyed every moment of it. She has had her share of sorrows in life. Her son Andrew died in Cardiff this Spring at the age of 54.
“The Tuesday bus run is very special and close to our hearts. We all look forward to the trip to Castlebar and meeting the regulars. Sure life itself is a journey,” says Morgan Morris.
The days roll around and this week they’ll do it all over again. Long live the Tuesday Club and the Happy Bus!
