A New Life: Following a family tradition was an opportunity not to be missed for one Luas driver as Fiona Tyrrell reports.
As the proud holder of one of Dublin's newest job titles, one of the first things Luas driver Eddie Byrne gets asked is what he did before becoming a tram driver.
While taxi or bus driver would be the most obvious answers, the reply that he was a butcher takes many by surprise.
Prior to taking up his post last January as a Luas driver, Rathgar-born Eddie Byrne (43) had worked as a butcher for most of his working life. He worked for Massey's, spending most of his time in a busy Meath Street shop in the heart of Dublin's Liberties. "It was a great street to work on. It was a little like Moore Street with a lot of locals. I made a lot of friends there."
Change is always daunting, so what possessed a man in his 40s, with 10-year-old twin girls, to give up a good solid job after almost 25 years? It's all "in his blood", says Byrne, whose grandfather was a tram driver and his father worked for Irish Rail.
When he first heard about the chance of trams returning to Dublin, Byrne's interest was awoken. Thoughts of following in his dad and grandad's footsteps were very attractive.
"I kept an eye on the Luas, as all Dublin people did. But I always had it in the back of my mind that it would be a nice career change. It was something I was very interested in," he says.
His grandad was based in Terenure and Dartry and worked on the trams for 40 years and his dad worked for Irish Rail for 35 years, he says. Although he liked his job, particularly the lively banter on Meath Street, Byrne wanted a change. "I liked the idea of going into something brand new. You know how it is going into the same old job with the same old faces."
However, at the end of the day it was not family ties or big ideals that made the final decision. Byrne and his wife sat down and went through all options and eventualities - a move he advises anyone considering a big life change.
"We went through everything. Finance was the most important thing. In the end I did feel that it might have been too much of a quantum leap. But I felt I could always go back and that I had nothing to lose."
Byrne took the plunge and sent in an application in October 2003. By January 2004 he had embarked on a five-week training course to become a Luas driver.
Being part of the historic return of the tram to Dublin was a great experience, says Byrne, who still can't get over people's immense curiosity about his job.
With his family links to trams in Dublin, Byrne was chosen to drive the first tram from St Stephen's Green to Sandyford on June 30th, 2004 - the first tram on the streets of Dublin for over half a century.
After the journey Byrne had to spend over an hour signing autographs, mostly from rail enthusiasts who had travelled from all over the world for the historic day.
"There was such a great buzz around at the time. The queues were huge. But with the trams able to take 300 people and 13 trams out on the street at the time, we got people moving quickly. The only problem was when people arrived out in Sandyford they realised there was nothing there!"
The transition from Meath Street butcher to fan-mobbed tram driver was not too "painful" he says. Byrne is "delighted" with the move and once he got over the initial "butterflies in the stomach" when he first started driving, he now has an extra bounce in his step.
The goodwill towards Luas and the camaraderie between the tram drivers makes the job all the more enjoyable, he says.
"Nothing will be 100 per cent smooth, but so far so good."
The shift work involved in being a tram driver affords Byrne to spend a lot more time with his children and allowed his wife, Lorraine, to go back to work. "In a way the arrival of Luas in Dublin happened at just the right time for me with the girls at the age they are. Now there is always one of us in the house."
And aside from fulfilling a childhood dream, Byrne's career change has brought him closer to his father who is now aged 75.
"My dad is delighted for me. I now find myself talking to him about things I never imagined we would discuss such as types of rails and signalling."
And what about his old job - any regrets? "I certainly don't miss the hard work," Byrne says. However, he does admit that with over 90 per cent of his former customers having been women, his bantering and bartering skills are not what they used to be.