Baby born on Irish Rail train to be given 25 years of free travel

Rail company makes announcement following incident on Galway to Dublin service

Irish Rail has said it will give free travel for 25 years to a baby girl born on one of its services on Tuesday. File photograph: Irish Rail
Irish Rail has said it will give free travel for 25 years to a baby girl born on one of its services on Tuesday. File photograph: Irish Rail

Irish Rail has said it will give free travel for 25 years to a baby girl born on one of its services on Tuesday.

In a tweet, the company said that while all children under the age of five travel for free on its services, it was “offering the baby girl another 20 years ’til age 25”.

“We will be hoping to help Mom out as well,” it added.

The baby girl was born on board a commuter train travelling from Galway to Dublin.

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The 3.05pm service from Galway to Heuston was approaching Kildare just before 5pm when the baby's mother went into labour and required medical assistance.

Staff on board the train located a nurse who went to the woman’s assistance. Ambulance services were also called and boarded the train within 20 minutes at Kildare.

The baby was delivered by Alan Devine, a GP from Donegal who is living and working in Galway. He was on board the train as he was travelling to Dublin for a conference.

“I’m a GP so this wasn’t really my field at all,” he told The Irish Times. “I would have done some training in managing deliveries when I was training to become a GP, but I haven’t been next or near that in about five years, let alone anything outside a hospital.”

Irish Rail said the train was delayed at Kildare for a total of 80 minutes before continuing its journey to Heuston. “We wish mother and daughter well,” said a spokesman.