‘Mothers grabbed their children and dived for cover’

WE were waiting for the Luas and watching barges float down the Grand Canal when we heard the shouts.

“Get off the tracks, get off the tracks,” came the roar.

A garda patrol car had come to a sudden halt on Davitt Road and gardaí were shouting at people at the Drimnagh stop to clear the area.

People started running away, not knowing where to go. It was 1.10pm.

Turning around as we ran, we caught the surreal sight of a large private bus travelling at some speed down the Luas tracks.

It bounced violently as it hit the track sleepers and screeched against the lines. Smoke was billowing out. Gardaí continued to shout at people to clear the area.

My pregnant wife ran ahead of me and managed to get onto a bridge over the canal taking us away from the danger.

We watched again in disbelief at what was happening.

The cream-coloured bus was careering down the tracks, driven by a big stocky man, who looked unfazed by what he was doing.

His two hands clenched on the steering wheel, he had a look of concentration.

He wore black sunglasses, had a receding hairline, was wearing a bright red jacket and looked to be in his mid to late 40s.

There appeared to be no one else on the bus as it sped past us.

Smoke billowed out of the back of the bus as it slammed against the tracks.

Marked and unmarked garda cars, fleets of them, sped down Davitt Road, which runs parallel to the tracks. Sirens were blaring and gardaí were shouting.

Just outside the Davitt flats an unmarked garda car stopped, a man got out, took aim at the bus and fired what seemed to be a single shot.

Mothers grabbed their children and dived for cover. People fled away towards the canal.

The garda got back into the car and the bus continued.

At this stage, the bus was heading to the Goldenbridge stop, where a large crowd had congregated to look at the barges.

There was also a crowd outside the Marble Arch pub. They had apparently received a warning about what was happening and had come out to see.

More garda cars continued to speed down Davitt Road. Gardaí tried to get people out of danger.

The bus flew over the rise at the stop, into the air and smashed down on the tracks.

The bus continued down, came to the Suir Road stop at the junction of Suir Road and Davitt Road, and took a right down Dolphin Road, following the path of the canal.

Fleets of ambulances and fire brigades were now heading up Davitt Road towards Bluebell and the Naas Road.

People stood shocked and in disbelief at what had just happened and tried to make sense out the mayhem.