'A bit of craic': Northern Ireland artist launches Bus Boat after two-year build using old Belfast Citybus and wind turbine

An extraordinary Bus Boat has taken to the River Bann after Belfast artist and engineer Paddy Bloomer spent almost two years transforming a wind turbine mast and an old Belfast Citybus into a working vessel.

Paddy, a former pupil of Dromore High School, is known for creating unconventional artworks and inventions from discarded materials. His portfolio includes pedal-powered karaoke, whin bush rockets, a floating shed and the Bin Boat, with his creations showcased at Glastonbury, Electric Picnic and the Venice Biennale.

His latest creation, measuring 14.2 metres and weighing around 11 tonnes, was launched at Coleraine Harbour on Tuesday, where he had been developing the project since moving it from Belfast in September 2024.

The unusual craft began life as The Lagan Lighter, an ‘experimental floating vessel’ which Paddy created on the Titanic slipways in 2024 using a wind generator and an old boat, as part of the WATER WORKS project by artist-led organisation PS².

He said: “The idea for a floating bus had been in my head for years. After creating The Lagan Lighter in June 2024, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and the project then spiralled. It was basic at first, only 8 metres long, but it just grew and grew.”

Paddy sourced an old Belfast Citybus and a redundant wind turbine, combining the two into what has become his ‘biggest boat ever’.

“I started working on it everyday and then adhoc,” he explained. “I bought the Citybus and the old wind turbine from scrapyards and started work. Coleraine has been a great place to develop it – nice people, with lots of other projects going on, and everyone has been very welcoming.”

Paddy has named the unusual vessel Bus2554, keeping the number from its former life as a Belfast Citybus.

“People say it’s bad luck to rename a boat, if you can call it that. Bus2554 was the fleet number, so I’m not taking any chances,” he joked.

Still a work in progress, Bus2554 has an open-plan layout featuring a dance floor, basic kitchen and sleeping area for the captain. However, Paddy said it is not intended as a permanent home, but rather as a way to travel, meet people and have ‘a bit of craic’.

He continued: “It is an open plan and not a residential boat. I enjoy connecting and I’m planning to just float about meeting people and having a bit of craic along the way.

“It still needs alot of work but it has a dance floor, a basic kitchen and captain’s sleeping area. I’ve had a great response so far and I hope to bring the boat up and down the Bann going to various festivals.”

He has already headed to the Kilrea Fairy Thorn Festival in Portglenone, with the bus’s original headsign pointing him in the direction of his final destination: “There’s no big plan really and the project is definitely not over.

"After two years in the workshop, I just felt it was time for it to get into the water. The headsign on the bus says Portadown, so that’s my destination, to go south. I don’t know what route and how long it’ll take.”

Paddy is now looking for a suitable place to keep the boat over the winter.

“I’m hoping to tie it up for the winter although there’s few places that can harbour it because of its size. I’m making an appeal for help.”

Thanking those who have helped him along the way, Paddy added: “I would like to say thanks to Belfast City Council, Bann River Cruises, PS², Coleraine Harbour and all my many friends. All their help has made the journey slightly easier.

“I’m not sure where it goes from here… but I’ll no doubt have something new on the go next year.”

Coleraine Harbour said the vessel had been one of the most unusual launches to pass through its boatyard, praising the “eccentric spirit, skilled hands, and sheer determination” behind the project.

Lawrence Street Workshops in Belfast, where Paddy previously worked, also shared footage of the launch, commenting: “Paddy’s bus boat launch in Coleraine Harbour looking good, a fair speed on her.”