Craftworker of the Year Award, Liam Ryan, Thurles Garage.

Craftworker award for Tipp's Liam


Bus Éireann has held its inaugural GEM (‘Go the Extra Mile’) Awards for its staff, in acknowledgement of the hard work, outstanding service and dedication of its employees across the country.

Awards were issued in a number of different categories including Apprentice of the Year, Craftworker of the Year, Hero of the Year, Driver of the Year, Employee of the Year, Engineering Operative of the Year, Health and Safety, Innovation and Efficiency and Part-time School Bus Driver of the Year.

Tipperary native Liam Ryan was awarded ‘Craftworker of the Year’ for his consistent high performance across the full range of mechanic skills. Liam completed his apprenticeship in Thurles Garage in 2011 and when a vacancy arose in the garage in 2012, Liam was a natural choice. Liam has recently moved to the Central Operations Department working as a field service support technician. Among his many achievements in his role, Liam championed the repair of Scania rear axle domes and completed these with the use of a plasma cutter to simplify the job and reduce labour hours.

Bus Éireann’s heroic employees were also celebrated at the inaugural awards. Two ‘Hero of the Year’ awards were presented to Bus Éireann drivers who each took lifesaving action for their passengers. Paddy Quinn, a driver in Sligo, was one of the recipients of this award. On September 11th, 2018, during a routine pit stop at Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, Paddy discovered that a passenger had not re-boarded the bus and had accidentally slipped into the River Shannon beside the bus stop. He immediately sprung to action, rushed down to the riverbank and pulled the man back to safety while up to his waist in water. After this courageous act, Paddy got back in the driver seat and completed his bus journey.