'Voice of the Luas' shares details of 'really lovely request' ahead of 20th anniversary

The 'voice of the Luas', which marks its 20th anniversary this weekend, has shared details of a 'really lovely' request she received from the family of a boy with special needs.

Former RTÉ broadcaster and Eurovision host Doireann Ní Bhriain is a familiar voice to the tens of millions of people who have travelled on the Luas since its launch in 2024.

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, she said is recognised occasionally and has received a number of requests from strangers and members of the public to record messages such as birthday greetings.

However, Doireann says one request was particularly heartwarming.

"Somebody once got in touch with me because they had a child, I think with special needs, who loved the sound of my voice and they found bringing him on the Luas calmed him - I think he was autistic - and she said would you ever record one of his favourite stories in your voice and then I can play it to him and it'll calm him down and I did needless to say but it was such a lovely request to get."

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The broadcaster, who hosted Eurovision in 1981, has revealed who she ended up becoming the 'Voice of the Luas' in 2010.

"They were putting extra stops on the line and they wanted to redo it. They said they had done it in a bit of a hurry at the beginning and I got a call from the then chief executive of the Luas - he knew my work and he said 'would you be interested in auditioning for this?'"

She added: "I said yes sure and ) did some samples and the next thing is I was in the studio recording loads of numbers, loads of names and that was it and I have been there ever since - I get old in real life but my voice on the Luas doesn't!"

In its 20 years, Luas has carried more than 650 million passengers and more than 400,000 Dubliners now live within 1km of a Luas Stop, fuelling the increasing demand for the public transport service.

The network will expand further, over the coming years, to meet growing demand. The next stage in this evolution will be the extension of the Green Line to Finglas, with work currently underway on its final design.