“`html

Josephine McDonnell Retires After 47 Years as a bus Driver

A Lifetime on the Road

WHEN Josephine McDonnell‍ climbed into the bus driver’s seat for the final‍ time it ‍marked the end of her time as a school bus ⁤driver for Ballyagran NS following five years of service and after ⁤almost half a century as a full-time driver.

The⁤ Bruree resident has spent 47 years behind the wheel of buses in Ireland and abroad, most‍ recently ⁣ferrying children to Ballyagran ⁢NS. But at⁣ 70,‍ the Moyvane, Co Kerry native is being‍ forced to retire⁤ by Bus Éireann regulations, something ⁤she admits she’s⁣ finding “absolutely impractical” to⁢ accept.

“I spent the last three weeks crying over this,” she said. “The last few days, all I’m ⁣getting is presents every day… We’re like⁣ a big family.”

From Farm to Freeway: The Beginning of a Career

Josephine’s career began in ⁤the late 1970s, at ⁢a time when few women were seen driving buses. After helping on the family farm and caring for her father when he became ill, she turned to bus driving to make a living.

Josephine explained: “I’d to stay at home and help on‍ the farm and my ⁣father got sick eventually and I wasn’t let go to school. When my dad got sick, I went driving a school bus ‍locally… Six months later, I got an offer of a job to start driving⁣ to London. I married into buses‍ and‍ out of buses.”

Experiences ⁢on the road: London and⁤ Beyond

Josephine⁣ has seen ⁢it all in her career, bombings in London, bus stowaways and near thefts.”I was in London the day that Charles and Diana got married and London ‍was electric.”

She continued: “I was coming back through Pembroke and the staff were all ⁤drunk, the⁤ customs crowd, and somebody had left a bottle of whiskey on the bus and two customs officers came onto the bus and they accused me of smuggling a bottle of whiskey.”

In London, she drove for Slattery’s of Tralee, and later worked across Ireland with various operators. For