A baby girl got off to a rail-y interesting start as she entered the world onboard an intercity train.
The infant was born on the 15:05 train from Galway to Dublin thanks to help from passengers.
A man travelling on the train, Ciaran Flynn, praised Irish Rail staff for their handling of the situation.
He said: “Fair play to Irish Rail employee (from Croatia), the American tourist, Irish girl and off duty doctor in delivering this baby!
“Everyone on board was very patient and ultimately delighted once we heard the baby girl take her first breath!
Staff on board the train located a nurse who aided the woman.
Ambulance services were also called and boarded the train within 20 minutes at Kildare, which led to delays.
A part of the carriage was sealed give the new mum and she gave birth in the area in between carriages.
Glass doors were locked by staff and Irish Rail employees held up a blanket to protect her privacy.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail wished mother and baby well, and when asked if the baby would receive free travel in the future, he said: “We would certainly like to respect the woman’s privacy but if that was something of interest, we would be delighted to provide that.”
And social media users were also quick to commend Irish Rail.
One Twitter user said: “Hope they’re getting free travel for life!! Congrats to them.”
Another added: “A happy ending thanks to the quick thinking of those on the train. Fair play.”
