Comments on: SEOMRA SPRAOI ZINE ARCHIVE AND ‘BUSMAN’, FEB 1978

By: Conor McCabe

Conor McCabe — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:00:34 +0000

That’s great background detail d_d, thanks

By: D_D

D_D — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:03:57 +0000

‘The Busman/Busworker’: one of the great ‘rank and file’ industrial papers of the 1970s and 80s. This was unusual in that it did not stem from a ‘Trotskyist’ initiative, or from the occasional Trotskyist-libertarian collaboration. Denis Dennihy, once of the Dublin Housing Action Committee, and of never-to-be-forgotten memory, was involved along with Bill McCamley. Bill revived the mag in a slightly different form later on. Another ‘Busworker’, that of the Busworkers Action Group, not at all close to Bill McCamley, is (or was) probably the last surviving unofficial industrial paper. Until the next round. A second generation of the McCamley name is active in Dublin bus trade unionism too. Bill has written a history of the Dublin tram workers.

By: Alan MacSimóin

Alan MacSimóin — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:23:58 +0000

It carried on until, at least, summer 1980 when July saw no.14 published (it had changed its title to ‘Busworker’ by then).

By: Donal

Donal — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:32:08 +0000

Fantastic, thanks for taking the time to get this online. I’d love to know if the first two issues are about, and also if this zine was ’stamped out’ by those above its producers!

By: Conor McCabe

Conor McCabe — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:10:50 +0000

Jaysus, I had forgotten about the busman and the Rocky Horror Show. And Frank and Walters ALWAYS bring a smile to my face.

By: Sean Baite

Sean Baite — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:27:00 +0000

Hope they weren’t giving out racing tips - the cover has them backing a non-runner (one-person buses not lasting).
Fairly fanzine look to it alright. Would remind me of some of the bus subculture - ‘Donnybrook Garage’, that conductor RTE once did a report on (conductor by day/crossdressing Rocky Horror Picture Show head in Harold’s X of a Friday night) and, of course, yer man Conrad….
Good excuse for the Frank & Walters best song of the lot :