Swanlinbar brothers on the Brexit front line

Sean McMahon

Two Swanlinbar brothers are bracing themselves for business upheaval as the Brexit D-Day looms. The Leydon brothers - Michael, an undertaker and Martin, a bus operator, say their work frequently takes them back and forth across the Border. They now fear major upheaval to their operations with the possible return of checkpoints and increased paperwork and red tape.
With Swanlinbar soon set to become an EU frontier, they feel changes are almost certainly on the way.
Some security sources told The Anglo-Celt that troops from another European country could be drafted in to police the Border. One security source suggested Europe bring in troops from other nations.
Michael is uncertain of the future. 
“For us that live along the Border, this whole Brexit scenario is getting more uncertain by the week. We don’t know what is going to happen,” he said.
As an undertaker, Michael regularly collects remains in both Northern Ireland and the UK. “That is very accessible at present. For example, we go to London and, once we have the Coroner’s Report and 'Out of Country' certificate, there is no problem in bringing the body back into Ireland,” he said.
“Nobody wants to go back to what it was like when the checkpoints were in operation on the Border. We all experienced the checkpoints here, when they closed all the Border roads. I can’t see that happening this time, but now the difference is: you will be going from a non-EU area into a European country,” surmised Michael.
“If Britain were to crash out, I would wonder would the process be as hassle free as it is now? There could well be a check some place,” he added.

Open casket
“My grandfather was also an undertaker way back in the '50s and I remember him telling me, coming up to the Customs Posts here, and the Customs Officer coming out and asking him to open the coffin,” explained Michael, the suspicion being perhaps he was smuggling weapons or something else in the coffin.
 
Bingo blues
Monday night is Bingo night in Swanlinbar and bingo fans from all over Fermanagh flock to the west Cavan Town. It's a big draw with a snowball jackpot on game five of €13,500 on 45 calls and a guaranteed €1,000 up for grabs on the last game.
“If any checkpoints returned on the roads here, those people would not come to the Bingo,” said Michael.

New bus service 
A Leydon’s bus runs to Enniskillen each Saturday and is a popular route - a hard Border could make it difficult for the service to continue.
Martin Leydon’s buses also now leave Swanlinbar on weekdays at 7.30am to facilitate students going to St Patrick’s College and the returning bus also carries passengers back to Swanlinbar. 
“People coming into Cavan early in the morning can get that bus and it will have them in the Swanlinbar area before 9.30am. It also serves Belturbet, Ballyconnell and Bawnboy,” said Martin.
The early time allows the bus to make the 9:30am Dublin connection and other routes such as the Airport Express and the 109, which serves the Mater Hospital.