South Roscommon student joins CIÉ Youth Board

South Roscommon student Ryan Dolan has joined the CIÉ Youth Board.

The 20-year-old is a former Athlone Community College student studying Politics and International Relations student at University College Dublin.

The group includes 12 young people aged 18 to 24, from nine counties: Carlow, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Louth, Offaly, Roscommon and Wexford.

The group met today (Thursday) for the first time since their formal appointment last month, and will be introduced to the CIÉ Board at CIÉ headquarters in Dublin’s historic Heuston Station, followed by a visit to Iarnród Éireann’s mechanical and engineering hub at Inchicore Works, where they will experience a 180 year old history of Ireland’s railways and see the new battery electric train, expected to rollout in 2027.

The new Youth Board will continue to act as an advisory board, providing insights, feedback and suggestions to feed into CIÉ’s board.

They will contribute thoughts and ideas on the key challenges and opportunities faced by CIÉ Group - and share a youth perspective on operational issues to reimagine how the public at large engage with public transport.

The 12 young people were chosen from 86 young people who applied for the opportunity, from that cohort 30 were brought forward to the interview stage, where the final twelve most suitable and diverse candidates were identified to represent young people across the country.

CIÉ first launched its search for a Youth Board in 2024 and recruited 15 young people who have worked with the organisation over the past two years, learning about the industry and contributing to CIÉ’s work.

Over their two year tenure the group engaged with each operating unit of CIÉ spending time with the teams across Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and CIÉ Tours. They have also had the opportunity to work with the CIÉ board.

The establishment of the CIÉ Youth Board sees CIÉ collaborate with THINKHOUSE, experts in youth communication and engagement.