The BUS DRIVER
A Nine-month-old baby isn't the only reason Bernard Murphy faces a 4.30 start every morning!
The Knockbridge man is a driver with Matthews bus and coach hire, and his is the friendly face greeting commuters boarding the 6am service.
'It is a very early start, but I actually don't mind it. Like most things it takes a bit of getting used to, but myself and my wife Veronica have a routine which works well I think.'
Their baby son Charlie is, he adds 'a very good sleeper' which means he is able to get a fairly uninterrupted night's sleep.
'He's great thankfully, and no bother at night. I try to be as quiet as I can when I get up as 4.30 is very early.'
With a cup of coffee and a few Weetabix for breakfast, Bernard sets off for Matthews depot in Inniskeen, before heading back into Dundalk to meet his first passengers of the day.
'People are pretty tired at that time of the morning as you can imagine. When we get down the road a bit I tend to just put the reading lights on as a lot of passengers like to have a sleep.'
When he completes the first run to Dublin and back, sometimes meeting his wife on the road as she heads to work in Drogheda, Bernard takes an hour break in Dundalk, before setting off on the same route again.
'I don't mind it at all, I find it pretty relaxing. I worked in construction before this, and it was a hell of a lot worse being stuck up on a roof at the height of winter than sitting in a bus with the heat on!'
With laws around distance, and drivers asking for regular breaks, Bernard has a few hours to spend during the day in Dublin, which in 2012 he says he will put to good use.
'I've started taking the tracksuit with me, and I go for a good walk along the quays. It's good to get the fresh air, and I'm conscious that sitting behind a wheel all day is not good for you either.'
With his final run of the day done, Bernard finds himself home shortly after 6pm, and has a few hours to spend with baby Charlie.
'The early mornings work well for me, I like to have the evenings at home. It's a pretty good job really.'
