First of all my apologies for the delay in replying but I do have to earn a living to pay for the muse m and to that end was almost two thousand miles away all week.

Secondly apart from one John Mulhern who did put his name and address nobody else of the critics appended their e-mails and they had false IP's which we checked. However, they did raise certain points and I am afraid it is a bit like answering "How many times did you beat your wife last night?" but I never believe in shooting the messenger if there is a message which requires a reply so here goes with my viewpoint for what it is worth. But be warned that fi you do not identify yourself and put your e-mail on your messages then they will be deleted. That is the rule.

Starting at the beginning I have been criticised for writing on other matters on the website. This is a fair point but there is also a fair point saying that I should.

For example I was aware that the fire doors at Cork Airport were barred. I first wrote to the management but they did nothing. I then was in possession of information whereby people could be killed a la Stardust and I do not think anyone of the Stardust relatives would have blamed me if at the time I had a website and through it could have had those fire doors unlocked.

Now I was in possession of information re Cork Airport which guaranteed that in the event of a fire people would have died trying to get through fire doors which could not be opened. I know that this website is dynamite as far as Cork Airport is concerned and is read by management and it is the one thing that makes them act. I would argue that I had a duty to get those fire doors opened by hook or by crook or by website and I choose the last and it worked.

With regard to the concrete we had a simialr situation. I was in possession of information that the concrete was fiddled and there was a risk of the building falling down and killing people. I did everything humanly possible to bring to the directors attention and nobody did anything. However, the website has started an investigation. Would anyone argue that that is a bad thing or that I should have ignored my responsibilities? As for other things, I care passionately about Cork airport. I passionately want it to succeed. Is it wrong of me to take such steps as are necessary to make sure it is run properly.

So to put it bluntly. I intend to expose scandal, corruption and mismanagement wherever it occurs because I feel I have a duty to do so and as I know this website works thats the way I intend doing it. I am not prepared to allow Michael O'Leary to have things his way and destroy the duty free at the airport thereby putting people out of wor,. Cork needs every job it can get at the moment and I make no apology for trying to ensure this.

Now to Thomas Allen first which is not his real name and who is afraid to say who he is. I have never bullied anyone in the preservation movement, Í have always done my best to cooperate with others and help them and will continue to do so. I only took on Bus Eireannn afer it became absolutely clear they were going to destroy the remaining KR's. Tim Hayes was fiddling the taxpayer selling at gross undervalue and there is reason to believe kickbacks may have been involved and I say no more for the moment. As to being accused of being a liar, I never say anything I do not believe to be the truth and if anyone thinks I have something wrong and it was wrong then I will gladly apologise and correct it.

As for not paying rent to anyone, we keep all our buses on our own property so the matter of rent is not relevant. In fact we have bailed people out and I have made donations to help them.

Regarding D 711 you are welcome to come and see it. As for 694 I have not a clue what you are talking about as we never had this machine.

he mentions I have called him abegrudger and a liar. I do not know Thomas Allen, have never had any dealings with him and therefore have not ever referred to him, much less called him a begrudger and a liar. Maybe if we told me his real name I might take a different view and get tempted to do so but I always respect other peoples views. But that does not mean I state mine as well but I always allow anyone to give their side of a story.

I need hardly add that we never "dump" buses in yards all over the country and certainly the Cork County Council never removed any Bristol RE from anywehere. Equally I am not aware of any bus being scrapped in lieu of rent. We have no places rented. I am also puzzled by what he means "buses not been accounted for". I would have thought our webiste was one of the most complete in the world and we report everything.

As for PL12 we never ahd this machine so again the reference puzzles me. PL 51 we do have, and she is alive and running well.

I am so pleased that JP says the museum is onyl a figment of our imnagination and that all is there is a portacabin. At 2,000 square feet of office space it is one hell of a portacabin. On the other hand we worked out that with each bus occupying about 300 square feet, we could, if we used them all as offices have about over 100,000 square feet of office space and they do make super offices. Even better mobile offices and each staff member could have an office to themselves and when he wishes to communciate with another staff member just drive his office over to the other person. Come to think of it, that would be fun and we must try it and it would give a whole new meaning to the phrase "driving to the office"!

Someone else commented there appeared to be rubbish around. People forget that we are not a static bus museum but an operating bus museum with a valid bus operators licence and in effect we are similar to a normal operator with 364 buses. Some will be out of the paint shop, some will be good looking and some will need a wash, others a paint job just like any operator. If we are busy operating then of course there will be rubbish around the place as is normal in any bus operators yard.

I agree that until our new 24 bus maintenance shed is erected and our new paint shop then we will lag behind what is desired but there is nothing wrong with tha. Equally our new hot detergent steam wash has only commenced and you cannot get 364 buses washed over night. But we will get around to iti. Anyhow what si the problem



Michael Grimes

All that i am sayin is that you should start having price lists for certain day throughout the year were you have the general public coming on tours "it would make some money!"Even if you had a good car park and nice entrance in would bring families in . you could even do private hire.!
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In case it has escaped people the museum address is Knockraha Airport and there is parking for some 300 cars so we are not too worried about not being able to provide parking.

If you park in the main car park you just walk 100 yards past the Coach Park and Terminal and the museum is all in front of you.

Practically all the roads signs in the area carry Knockraha - Knockraha Airport on them. The bus stop at the gate has a Bus Eireann sign on it and the word Airport. In the gate between the cream walls and there you are. Between the entrance and the car aprk is the helipad which has a sign on it so be careful around it as we do not have any fences.

We look forward to visitors. I kind of miss the point about variable rates of charging as we simply do not charge visitors and the car park is also free. There are six buses a day to Knockraha - Bus Eireann Route 221 and just asked to be dropped at the airport gate. Beware that other 221 buses go to Hazelwood and Sallybrook and you do not want those only those going to Knockraha Airport and Knockraha.

On Saturdays often as can be seen from photos on our website you will find one of our Tigers at Knockraha on the 1400 service to Cork!

So do come and visit us.

Michael Grimes

You are a hooribe rotten liar.

Wise up he is telling the truth i've drivin past the museum before