From Kildare to the Continent – A Lifetime in Irish Trucking | Season 6 – Episode 47
Wheels May 26, 2026
Former truck driver Stephen Martin, with over 50 years behind the wheel, sat down with his niece Frances Daly and Kevin Reid of Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport to share an afternoon of memories from a lifetime on the road.
From starting work at 21 driving locally for Copes of Castledermot, County Kildare, to delivering feed and fertiliser for Quinns of Baltinglass, County Wicklow, Stephen’s career later took him across Europe with Trans Con, hauling Irish beef from Rosslare to the markets in Paris and onward to American army bases in Germany and Italy. Return loads were just as varied, including French paper cups and Ferrero Rocher sweet wrappers from Germany.
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COPES OF CASTLEDERMOT
Stephen Martin’s older brother Sean was the first in the family to drive for Copes hardware store, as his niece Frances Daly shared, “Sean started them off. Sean was the first one to work in Copes,” he went in after his father who was employed on the Copes family farm. Copes on Main Street, Castledermot, Co. Kildare, is a historic, long-established family business, with roots dating back to at least 1884 and now trading as a Londis supermarket and hardware store.
DODGE LAD CAB
In a photograph held dear by the family Sean Martin is pictured on his first day at work with Copes standing alongside a 1965 Dodge LAD Cab lorry, registration DIO 600. Stephen remembered these trucks as being lovely to drive, confirmed by Frances as being the bees’ knees!
Dodge’s British-built 300 Series trucks (produced at Kew from 1957 to the mid-1960s) were the main users of the LAD (Leyland–Albion–Dodge) cab. Introduced in 1958 and used until around 1966, this Motor Panels “Vista Vue” cab was shared across the three marques to reduce costs, with Dodge models distinguished by their own grille and body details. Noted for its improved visibility and ergonomics, the LAD cab also offered extra space behind the seats, making it one of the earliest practical “club cab” layouts.
Stephen told us some of the long-distance journeys undertaken by his brother Sean when they used to load up the truck and leaving in the morning from Copes in Castledermot, County Kildare drive to Ballyshannon, County Donegal and stay in a B&B in as there was no sleeper cabin in those days. The next day they would drive a further 80 kms to the mill in Milford, County Donegal and back to Castledermot the next day.
Today, driving via driving from Castledermot via Ballyshannon to Milford is 358 kms and according to Google Maps would take you almost five hours. In pre-motorway days this was a two-day journey through the middle of every town as there were no bypasses in those days and as Stphen recalls, “there are a lot of towns between Castledermot and Milford”.
QUINNS OF BALTINGLASS
At 21, Stephen began his working life behind the wheel of a 1-ton Bedford pick-up, driving for Quinns of Baltinglass in County Wicklow. Founded in 1936 by William (Bill) Quinn as a high-class bar, grocery, provision, hardware and seed business, Quinns remains in operation today on Mill Street in Baltinglass.
The next truck he drove for Quinns was as Stephen says “one of those round ones you see on Heartbeat, the Austin (T200), where you needed a week’s notice to stop it.”
The type of loads Stephen delivered for Quinns General Merchants were fertilizer, seed, grain, cement and a lot more besides.
EURO PALLETS
When asked did he have to load and unload the trucks himself, Stephen referred to that task as “handballing” where the driver had to carry on and carry off. Each driver had a helper and it was Tommy Keeley who was Stephen’s helper. The helpers were done away with when the Euro pallets came into use in the 1970s.
From 1961, the standard Euro-pallet (EPAL) system began to take hold, enabling seamless interchange between European rail and road transport.
Hazelhill Timber Products of Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, established in 1969, became the first Irish pallet supplier licensed to manufacture Euro pallets.
CONTINENTAL DRIVING
When there was a slack time Stephen would drive refrigerated trucks for Trans Con, Paddy Heffernan’s company operating out of Rosslare. The runs from Rosslare included early morning runs to the Paris markets or to American Army bases in Germany and Italy. Other runs were down to the south of France to pick up apples depending on the time of the year and the harvest.
Return journey loads were Ferrero Rocher sweet wrappers from Germany and paper cups from Lille in northern France and while the truck was full of cups the whole load was only a couple of tons.
ANNUAL BLESSING
Each year Stephen’s mother would insist that all the trucks and any new trucks were brought up to the monks at Bolton Abbey, Moone to be blessed. Father Ambrose conducted the ceremony and then insisted that he have a drive around the carpark. And as Frances recalls, “there never was a problem after the trucks were blessed”.
DRIVING IN DUBLIN
Back in the 1970s according to Stephen there were very little signs in and around Dubin city and finding your way was difficult. He route included picking up and delivering all over the city including Lenehans of Capel Street. Lenehans was established in 1865, originally described as a “Wrought Iron Manufacturer and Bell Hanger.” The business moved to its present premises at 124 Capel Street in 1890 and remains in operation today.
As Stephen describes, unloading in the bust city street was difficult as the helper had to stack the delivery on the footpath while the driver had to go around the block trying to find a place to park.
The company opened a depot and that meant there was just one delivery per week of parcels and goods and compared to what went before it was as Stephen says; “a godsend compared to what went before”.
BREAKING DOWN
When Stephen was asked what he did about breaking down his response; “you are on your own!”. He went on to say when trucking, “you go early in the morning when you see daylight coming towards you and if you went late the darkness is coming towards you and you don’t want that”. He went on to say that you get used to changing a wheel and that everybody was doing it at the time and you get used to it.
If you were really in trouble the company mechanic would attend and “if he was in a good humour, it was no problem”.
FEED DELIVERIES
In later years Stephen drove a specialist feed delivery truck for Quinns when he would drive down narrow country lanes in his Mercedes-Benz Actros 510 and unload the cattle feed directly by blowing it into an automatic cattle feeder in the field.
EIGHT MILLION MILES
In an April 2017 article on the Kildare Live website celebrating the long service of the Martin brothers, the piece was entitled: “Johnny Martin celebrates 50 years at Quinns of Baltinglass — and millions of miles.”
A spokesperson for the company added, “Between the two of them, at least eight million miles have been clocked up delivering for Quinns.”
If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Sources of Information, Photo, Video & Music Credits:
All music and sound effects used in Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport are royalty free and are fully licensed through Epidemic Sound. Ireland Made – Stories of Irish Transport therefore holds the legal right to use this audio material within its productions under the terms of the Epidemic Sound licensing agreement.
Kildare Live website
Lenehans of Capel Street – https://www.lenehans.ie/blog/lenehans-in-1865
Quinns of Baltinglass – https://quinns.ie/
