Train chasing

This week's Independent News & Media Irish regional newspapers' column.

Michael Commane

In these hectic times most people easily admit to rushing through the day with little or no downtime.

Don’t we use the expression to chase one’s tail but that has a slightly different meaning as it implies that all one’s rushing about leads to nothing.

We all chase different things, we even chase the rainbow, again it’s a bit of a waste of time as that implies we are pursuing things that are unrealistic or unlikely to happen.

The story of our lives? Where does our chasing get us?

So what chasing do you do in your life?

Personally, many is the chase I have done.

But the one that I took part in recently was a first for me. I’m alternating between laughter and exhaustion thinking about it.

I’m now five months into a ‘carless’ existence. It’s public transport, a bicycle and a motorbike. That’s not the full story as I often depend on lifts from friends.

I was travelling from West Kerry to Dublin on Sunday. The plan was to cycle the first 10 kilometres, then bus to Tralee and onwards with Iarnród Éireann to Dublin.

A friend intervened and kindly offered to drive me to Tralee. I was hesitant but he persuaded me to accept his offer. I easily succumbed.

The plan was to leave Castlegregory at 11.20 for the 11.50 rail service. At approximately 11.10 my friend got a call telling him his cattle had broken out of the field and off he went to rescue same. 

He arrives back close to 11.30, too late to make the 11.50 train so we drive to Farranfore. As we arrive at the station we can see the red lights of the train slowly and gently leave the station. It’s on to Killarney. 

Traffic is slow and far too many cyclists annoying me. Approaching Killarney we decide that we would not make it so it’s off to Rathmore. Far too much traffic dawdling about on the roads on Sunday when they should all be either at home, playing football or at Mass. 

Why are they delaying me? Do they not know I am chasing a train?

On some occasions on the road we are driving parallel to the railway and it seems we are now ahead of the train.

Make it on time at Rathmore. A few people waiting for the up train. It turns out the train arrives 11 minutes late in Rathmore. 

Because of a large number of people boarding in Killarney the train is now running late, which means of course that I could have caught it in Killarney and saved my friend the return Killarney Rathmore drive.

In normal circumstances, if anything is ever normal, I would easily have waited for the next train but I had to be in Dublin for 5.30pm, which meant the next train would have been too late.

It was seriously kind of my chauffeur to spend an hour chasing a train for me. And then he had the drive back to Castlegregory.

We both agreed it was funny and that should we be alive in 10 or 20 years’ time we will still be talking and laughing about our Sunday morning train chase.

I am always wondering what life is about. A friend tells me it’s moving from one distraction to the next.

Don’t we all take ourselves far too seriously?

I bet in the years to come I’ll forget about many so-called important events but I’ll be still laughing at the train chase.

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