Two Carlow students with 'first-hand experience' join CIÉ Youth Board

Two students from Carlow with “first-hand experience” of public transport have been chosen as part of the Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) Youth Board.

The group includes 12 young people aged 18 to 24, from nine counties, including Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Louth, Offaly, Roscommon and Wexford.

The group met earlier this week for the first time since their formal appointment last month.

They were introduced to the CIÉ Board at the CIÉ headquarters in Dublin’s Heuston Station and visited Iarnród Éireann’s mechanical and engineering hub at Inchicore Works, where they experienced the 180-year-old history of Ireland’s railways.

They also got to see the new battery-electric train, which is expected to rollout in 2027.

23-year-old Katie O’Sullivan from Graiguecullen and 21-year-old Franek Dobronski from Carlow Town are among the 12 newly appointed members of the Youth Board.

“I'm delighted to be joining CIÉ's Youth Board. I rely on two buses to get to university and regularly take the train between Carlow and Dublin to visit family, so I know how much the experience of travelling matters. I want to make sure young people across Carlow have a real say in how our public transport develops and that their everyday experiences and priorities, from cost and convenience to comfort and safety, help shape future decisions,” Katie said.

“I was a commuter student for a period of time in my 2nd year of university, having to get up at 5am everyday to catch a train, having first hand experience of the struggle commuter students face everyday. Since starting my BA in Climate and Environmental Sustainability at Dublin City University, I have been relying on the public transport system in the city to get around, and understand the problems and challenges it has. Having to travel up to 2+ hours to get home to Carlow, which includes busy Dublin traffic and the train home, I want to serve as a voice for young people and students who face similar struggles of mine and simultaneously advocate for active travel as an avid cyclist,” Franek added.

The new Youth Board will continue to act as an advisory board, providing insights, feedback and suggestions to feed into CIÉ’s board.

They will contribute thoughts and ideas on the key challenges and opportunities faced by CIÉ Group and share a youth perspective on operational issues to reimagine how the public engage with public transport.

The 12 young people were chosen from 86 young people who applied for the opportunity.

CIÉ first launched its search for a Youth Board in 2024 and recruited 15 young people who have worked with the organisation over the past two years, learning about the industry and contributing to CIÉ’s work.

Over their two-year tenure, the group engaged with each operating unit of CIÉ, spending time with the teams across Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and CIÉ Tours.

They have also had the opportunity to work with the CIÉ board.

“We wanted young people at the table, not just in the conversation, and they more than delivered. They asked tough questions, brought fresh ideas and gave us an honest view of what public transport is like for young people across Ireland,” Aidan Murphy, Chair of CIÉ Board, said.

The CIÉ Youth Board include:

Katie O’Sullivan, 23, Carlow, PhD student in International Refugee Law (studying in Dublin), she/her

Franek Dobronski, 21, Carlow, Climate and Environmental Sustainability student at DCU, he/him

Shane Duffy, 24, Dublin, Urban Planning Consultant and part-time MSc student in Sustainable Transport and Mobility, he/him

Fionn Kilfeather, 18, Dublin, Secondary School Student, they/them

Charlie Beaudelot, 21, Offaly, Human Nutrition and Dietetics student at TU Dublin, they/them

Bel Aghedo, 19, Dublin, University student in Galway, she/her

Ryan Dolan, 20, Roscommon, Politics and International Relations student at UCD, he/him

Marykate Donohoe, 23, Wexford, Finance Analyst and Trinity College Dublin Business Studies graduate, she/her

Sophie Lynam, 18, Cork, Leaving Certificate student, she/her

Ciara Murphy, 24, Louth, Master’s student in Common Law, she/her

Tanam Sethi, 23, Dublin, Associate at EY and Trinity College Dublin Global Business graduate, he/him

Hannah Rose Burke, 20, Donegal, Architecture student (studying in Belfast), she/her