On New Year’s day 1934, along the cambered road to Sligo near Drumfin the team of Brideville FC had just opened their packed lunch and were enjoying sandwiches and a sing-song. They had set out early that morning from Dublin on their way to face Sligo Rovers in a Leinster Senior League game in the Showgrounds. Brideville were a team from the Liberties area of Dublin who had spells in the League of Ireland during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Sligo would be elected to the League of Ireland for the first time later that year, while Brideville would return to that level again in the following year.

The travelling party of players and officials, numbering around nineteen in total, had stopped earlier along the way in Mullingar for tea, while the two coach drivers, taking shifts on their journey west, went to get a late morning Mass. The road past Boyle was poor and the conditions were wet and slick, the two drivers claimed they never passed 30 miles per hour on their journey, sometimes creeping along at around 15mph due to the conditions, statements which the other passengers on the bus would corroborate later.

As they travelled along the stretch of road near Drumfin, driver Harry Costello found the bus going into a skid, the road was surface was poor and raised in the middle and was slick and wet in the early January weather, ultimately unable to right the bus it tumbled from the road and down an embankment of twelve feet, somersaulting into a nearby field. The roof was ripped clear off, Costello was wedged in by his feet at the wheel while many of the Brideville players and officials were also trapped inside.

One man who wasn’t trapped however, was the 62 year old club secretary Timothy Finn. He had tragically been thrown clear and was described as sitting quite lifelike on the torn roof of the bus, he had died instantly from a broken neck. Finn had worked for many years in the printing trade, working for Independent Newspapers in Dublin City Centre, he had been married to his wife Elizabeth for almost forty years and they had four adult children. He and Elizabeth lived in Block F of the Iveagh Buildings off Bride Street, in an area from which Brideville would have drawn much of their support.

John Doyle, a local man returning from Mass, was the first on the scene, he quickly gathered together other men from the local area and was able to push the bus over on its side and free those trapped inside. Soon news of the crash reached Sligo town. The crash ahd taken place just after 2pm that day with the match against Sligo Rovers due to kick-off at 2:30pm. By 3:30pm it was clear that the Brideville team were unlikely to arrive and the large crowd that had gathered in the Showgrounds began to make their way home, only encountering the terrible news of the crash as they filtered out.

The inquest that was held in the following days excused the drivers of any blame for the crash instead citing the condition of the road and driving conditions. In total £2,000 was paid out to the Finn family & the injured Bridewell players in damages at a court case in November of 1934. Several of the players suffered quite severe injuries that would likely impact not only their ability to play football but also their regular day jobs. As well as injuries to the playing staff the club Treasurer, James Keyes suffered a “crushed back” in the crash.

There was a large funeral for Tinothy Finn, he had been given a guard of honour by Sligo Rovers as his coffin was brought to the train station in the town to return his remains to Dublin.

Sympathy was offered by the local Council, the football club and by John Fallon of the Sligo District Football Association. Fallon had been a footballer himself, was involved with founding Sligo Rovers and would later become a Councillor and Mayor of Sligo. His son Seán Fallon would find fame as a player and coach for Celtic and Ireland. The Brideville players and committee seemed to appreciate these sentiments and were fulsome in their thanks to the people of Sligo for the help and generosity they received in the aftermath of the bus crash.

The main funeral in Dublin took place in the Chruch of St. Nicholas of Myra on Francis Street and was a very well attended affair. The main mourners were his widow Elizabeth and children, Sarah, Mary (Maisie), Elizabeth and Timothy. Representatives from Timothy’s workplace, including the Irish Stereotypers Union executive and numerous staff from Independent Newspapers (as well as their associated sports club) including the newspaper directors like James Donohoe and Timothy R. Harrington were present.

There was of course a large representation from the footballing community, from Finn’s own club Brideville as well as Bohemians, Sligo Rovers, St. James’s Gate and representatives from the League of Ireland and the FAI. His coffin was draped in the colours of Brideville and the players gave a guard of honour at the church before eventually Timothy Finn was taken to Mount Jerome cemetery for burial.

Brideville didn’t play a match for another three weeks, eventually returning to action against Queen’s Park and securing a 2-2 draw in the FAI Cup, most of the injured players had returned but some were reported to be “still feeling the effects of the tragic bus crash”. Three months after the accident, in April, 1934 a fundraiser match between a Brideville select XI and Aberdeen was held in Dalymount Park in aid of Timothy Finn’s family and the injured Brideville players. Aberdeen would have been a significant draw at the time and had prominent Irish internationals Joe O’Reilly (signed from Brideville) and star striker Paddy Moore in their ranks. Brideville strenghened their side with players from Cork, Shelbourne, Drumcondra and Belfast Celtic and the match was a lively affair with Aberdeen prevailing 3-2 in front of 12,000 spectators in Phibsborough.

Brideville would would return to League of Ireland level in the 1935-36 season, acheiving the ambition that Timothy Finn had worked so hard for, they would continue in the highest level of Irish football until the 1942-43 season when they failed to be re-elected to the League.