‘I have to go into Ella at 5.30am when she is in a deep sleep to wake her’

A FRUSTRATED Dunshaughlin father who is forced to bring his 18-month-old daughter on an early morning commuter train to Dublin to access childcare due to a shortage of creche places in the area says that the current government has 'failed the Irish people'.

Every morning public servant worker Breandan O'Ciosog wakes his daughter up at 5.30 am, gets her ready and drives to the M3 Parkway to catch the 6.50 am train to Dublin. 

“When we purchased our house in Dunshaughlin we found out there was over a two-year waiting list to put your child into a creche. We enquired further afield in Dunboyne, Ratoath and other areas only to find out there were no spaces available. 

“I'm from Mayo and my wife's family is in Cavan and Fermanagh so we literally have no one to help with Ella, we are on our own and had no option but to bring her all the way into Dublin city centre just so we can go to work so we can put food on the table and a roof over our heads.”

A creche is in the plans for the Willows where Breandan and his wife Catriona bought their home just over a year ago but with no progress made to date, the dad-of-one doesn't see and end in sight.

 

Breandan and Catriona Cusack and 18mt old Ella Ready for School 

“When I started first taking Ella on the train we'd get looked up and down by people as if to say the cheek of you coming on here with a child, this train is for workers but the last couple of months I actually see more and more buggies.

“There's another family living nearby that goes to the same creche as us. We are not the only ones anymore and it's only going to get worse.”

The exhausted dad describes the gruelling day. 

“I have to go into Ella at 5.30 am when she is in a deep sleep to wake her up.  Her bag has to ready as well as our own stuff literally waiting to go from the night before. I put them in the car, fly down to the train station and then get on to the train and go.

“I arrive at the M3 Parkway 6.40 am get her into the buggy and head on to the train that leaves at 6.50 am.

"I stand beside her buggy for 40 minutes on the train. 

 

Three-year waiting lists for creches in Meath has forced Breandan and Catriona to bring Ella to Dublin to access childcare

“It would normally be very full by the time I get to the city centre even though this is the earliest train in the morning, any other train after the 6:50 is too packed and I cannot get on. Some people look at me like I'm an inconvenience because of the size of the buggy and stare at me as if to say how dare I bring a child on a commuter train, it just makes me feel horrible.

“At 7.30 am the train arrives at the Docklands station. I have to wait for everyone to walk on ahead of me as I'd only be in their way.  At 8.05 am I drop my daughter off to her crèche and I head to work myself.

“I work a 58 hour week and I spend four hours and fourteen minutes a day travelling to and from work, that's 22 hours a week on top of my 58 hours.

"I get home around 7.20 and by the time that I get in the door, I might just be lucky to catch Ella and give her a hug before she goes to bed. 

“Ella has to spend over eight hours a day in a crèche. In the evenings my wife has to pick our daughter up as I'm still at work. She had to change her working hours so she finishes at 4:30.  

The long early morning commute is taking its toll on family life 

“She picks up my daughter and runs for the 5.10 pm train, it is absolutely packed but it's our only option. My wife has to stand inside the door so everybody has to get past her.

"I've seen elderly women that you'd think would have more understanding grab the buggy with Ella in it and nearly throw her out of the way to get past it while others shout at them that they should have more manners and you have to go through this every single day.

Breandan explains how the situation is taking a toll on his family. 

“We were in discussion about having another child but came to the conclusion that we can't bring two babies on the train to Dublin. The stress of the whole thing is hard to cope with and trying to get in and out of town is a nightmare. 

 

Little Ella has to be woken up at 5.30am every morning

“I never imagined that I'd be on a train with an 18-month-old. She's a toddler and not always going to be in good form, they pick up bugs and get sick, you are praying that she will be quiet on the train because if she starts crying people start cutting you looks. It's not easy. 

“There is going to be another 150 houses built here beside us and they will be up in the next seven months, there could be another 30 odd kids thrown into the mix there. 

“Ella is the next generation of this country and she is getting hammered already before she even gets going. It's just a mess.”

“The transport minister Shane Ross, Irish rail and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone have all failed the Irish people.”

Hu O'Reilly and his wife Sinead who live in Dunshaughlin have no other choice than to travel to Leixlip to access childcare.

Sinead O'Reilly has to travel to Leixlip to access childcare 

"My wife who is a primary school teacher in Clondalkin brings our one and a half year old to Leixlip to access childcare because there is no available creche or childminder in our area.

"We applied to a creche in Dunshaughlin in September 2018 and found out that there would be no spaces available in 2020, so it will be at least 2021, that's almost a three-year waiting list. 

"It's frustrating. It feels like a basic necessity that should be in a community, like shops and a post office. 

"If there are times that Sinead is not in school we have to travel 25 minutes away rather than five minutes up the road as most people would."