Cork hurling fans' problems getting to the All-Ireland semi-final match against Wexford continued yesterday, when three trains were delayed by an incident on board one of Iarnród Éireann's special services for the match.
The emergency stop button was pressed on one of the special trains taking people from Cork to Dublin, leading to the train being stopped at an intersection just south of Charleville for over an hour. This led to delays in the regular 8.20 a.m. service, and the last of the special trains.
Last Wednesday, there were minor disturbances at Kent railway station in Cork when hundreds of hurling supporters failed to buy rail tickets to Dublin for the All-Ireland semi-final.
Although announcements over the tannoy at Dublin's Heuston station stated that yesterday's delay was due to "vandalism", an employee of Iarnród Éireann said that there was "no disturbance on board the train, no phone calls to the Garda or arrests".
"After the emergency stop button was activated, the train was examined and the brakes were reset, and then the train proceeded on its way."
Cork fans coming into Dublin 80 minutes after the timetabled arrival time yesterday were unimpressed by the delay. Kevin O'Brien of Clonakilty, travelling with his young sons Peter and Connor, commented: "The carriage I was in was roasting, and there were a few people drinking from quite early on." Iarnród Éireann had three special trains travelling to Dublin on Sunday with a total capacity of 1,200.