Family were afraid for their diabetic daughter on bus
Another stranded bus in the 1982 blizzards
A GRAPHIC account of the trauma experienced by the Gaffney family in Ardee over their diabetic daughter, trapped on the 'lost' bus, was told in the hours after the party of children finally made it home.
Edmund Gaffney, Siobhán's father, and a long time employee of Mcgees of Ardee, told how two attempts had been made to mount rescue parties out of Ardee to find the bus, but failed, and it was a third party who made contact with them late on the Friday, headed by Séamus and Conall Gaffney and Sgt Brian Duignan and Garda Peter Fahy.
Siobhán had to be ferried across fields by tractor and jeep to the farm of Jimmy Kelly of Pepperstown, from where she was transferred by tractor to home by 11.30pm.
Mr Gaffney paid special tribute to Sgt Malachy Sharpe, Garda John Dunlea and Phil Carroll from Ardee and contractor Peter Courtney for their assistance.
In the absence of a five-hour overdue insulin injection, Edmund was of the opinion that the chocolate given to Siobhán by the priest in Louth village averted a serious situation.
The first search party had set off at 2.30pm on the Friday. However, Conall Gaffney and local businessman Séamus Kearney were unable to get past Duffy's Cross.
At 6.30pm, Edmund Gaffney, Garda Dunlea and Fahy set off, but they got stuck at Mullacloe, near Ardee, and had to return.
By the Monday Siobhán had almost fully recovered from her ordeal and was able to go on a shopping trip with her mother, Mary.
Siobhán was a student at St Vincent's, Dundalk.
