First Driving Licence

"This is my first driving licence issued in 1963 when I was 17 years old, almost 5 months before the introduction of the driving test in Ireland. Some of my friends had bought Honda 50 motorbikes – later known as chicken chasers – and when they went to Bolton Street in Dublin to get their driving licences, I went with them even though I didn’t own any vehicle. The application form was very simple and If memory serves me right, there were very few categories i.e. Motorcycle, Motor Car and Lorry/Bus on the form. I applied for all of the categories and got them all and still have them. Over the years the categories have been subdivided and I think today there are 16 of them although I believe B1 no longer applies so, in affect, we have 15. My licence, with all the categories, has served me well as for many years I earned my living driving a truck and more recently driving coaches even though I never did a test. "