Matthew Irish interviewed by Kosma Mrzyglod

Interview with Matthew Irish recorded by Kosma Mrzyglod on 17 February 2026 at Network Rail Three Bridges offices, Crawley. Duration: 59 minutes 08 seconds. [Start of interview] Childhood in Lincolnshire, family background; secondary school from 1985; experiences of homophobic bullying during adolescence and the relative improvement after age 16; university as a more accepting environment. [00:02:30] Reflects on coping with this period alongside being on the autism spectrum, diagnosed as an adult; neurodiversity, masking, learning to appear neurotypical, and the difficulty of expressing both himself and his sexual orientation; physical attacks at school linked to assumptions about being gay; impact of the AIDS/HIV crisis, public hostility towards gay people, and the historical age of consent. [00:06:00] Describes how these experiences shaped a commitment to “fight for the underdog” and support groups facing hostility, supporting transgender people and migrants, remaining mindful that rights can be reversed; exploring his sexuality once he felt in a safer environment. [00:10:30] Interest in railways after university but concern in the mid-1990s that the industry did not feel safe for a gay man; joined Thomas Cook (TC), working mainly in aviation for 20 years, including flight crew and flight crew management roles; valued TC’s inclusive environment and trade union work around equality. [00:13:40] After TC failed in 2019, reconsidered railways, noting that outward recruitment messages suggested change; applied to Network Rail (NR) as a signaller and started in February 2020. [00:19:00] Business Studies at Hull University from 1992 to 1996; exposure to international perspectives and friendships challenged learned beliefs. [00:23:00] Internal communications role in a NR Control Room, stepping stone in railway world, control room staff’s previous experiences in hand-on roles, choosing to pursue career in signalling, single person signal box. [00:32:40] Completed signalling school; worked in Tunbridge and then Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre (TROC), describing signalling responsibilities and the more removed nature of TROC work. [00:35:30] Reflects on lone working experience, preferring to work as part of a team, looking for supportive environment to work in [00:39:10] Describes commuting during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown as an essential worker, reassessing work-life balance, and now valuing a shorter commute and quality of life. [00:42:10] Life in Brighton & Hove, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill; meeting his husband online in 2003 and marrying in 2007. [00:45:00] Current day-to-day work looking after trains into the eastern side of Victoria, involvement in migration from Clapham to TROC, shift patterns, training and future operational changes. [00:49:20] Leisure and voluntary life, including work as a magistrate, family time, dogs, reading and travel; reasons for enjoying European travel. [00:52:40] Reflects on being LGBTQIA+ [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and other identities] within railway work; feeling safer in his current role while remaining aware of wider hostility towards marginalised groups and the need to support those targeted. [00:54:30] Future plans focus on living for today, doing joyful things, supporting causes that matter, and not feeling pressure to progress further career-wise [end of interview]

This interview was made as part of People Pride and Progress (PPP) project. The project was initiated in 2023 to record the stories and memories of the LGBTQIA+ community in a new oral history archive over two years. It aimed to connect past, present and future through intergenerational interviews, offering opportunities for colleagues across all parts of the rail industry to connect, reflect on and learn from each other’s lived experiences while creating an archive of oral history interviews.