Somewhere between folklore and forgotten code, Gears 4 Tears exists as a fever dream of Irish game development – a spectral relic from the golden age of the Nintendo 64 that was never meant to be found. What began as an unfinished experiment by St. Brides, a Donegal-based developer with deep ties to the Silver Sisterhood, has since evolved into one of the most singular, sprawling, and joyously collaborative restoration projects in recent memory – a communal act of digital archaeology driven by music, myth and a shared love of the absurd.
The story of Gears 4 Tears is one of layered discovery. St. Brides, who had found success with Bugsy on the Atari and ZX Spectrum, secured a $500,000 grant from Údarás na Gaeltachta in the mid-‘90s to develop a racing game for the Nintendo 64. Inspired by the near-mystical punctuality of John McGinley Coaches – the bus company ferrying Donegal’s weary souls to Dublin – the game was meant to feature the company as its in-game mascot. A playable demo was showcased at Chartbusters in Letterkenny in 1996 to justify the funding and gauge public interest, with beta copies circulated via N64 rentals.
The game never progressed beyond the beta stage, but its legend has only grown through garbled VHS recordings, whispered recollections, and a soundtrack that feels like it arrived fully formed from an alternate timeline. Thanks to the efforts of Daniel McGarrigle (DJ Dano) and Rob Mulhern, fragments of the Gears 4 Tears OST – jungle, ambient, and early tracker-era N64-core – have been salvaged from decaying VHS tapes, reigniting a collective memory. Since the game’s rediscovery, people across Donegal have been unearthing lost tracks, digging through their childhood collections to piece together something that was never quite whole in the first place.
But Gears 4 Tears is more than just an abandoned game – it’s an experiment in hauntological storytelling, a strange and wonderful fusion of past and present. Across Reddit threads, attic finds and long-buried myths, the project has taken on a life of its own, transforming into a living, breathing testament to Ireland’s musical and gaming subcultures at their most gloriously odd.
Ghaoth Dobhair savant, one of the heads behind it all, Rob Mulhern (hhH, ex-Tuath and Lunch Machine) tells us it’s about more than just nostalgia – it’s about connection, shared creativity, and, ultimately, bringing a forgotten world back to life.
Hello Rob. Up the Radisson. How are you keeping? What is the wonderful, winding origin story of this project?
This restoration project began a few weeks ago when my mother was moving house. She asked me to go through some old VHS tapes for digitization, as one of them contained her brother’s wedding, and she wanted to preserve it.
While sorting through the tapes, I stumbled upon some gameplay footage. Unfortunately, the video itself was just white static noise, and the audio, though mediocre, was still functional. The footage was from a strange game developed in the 1990s by a company called “ST Brides.” By day, ST Brides was a game development studio, but by night, they were a cult based in Donegal known as “The Silver Sisterhood.” They primarily developed games for the Atari, most notably creating the first-ever R-rated game, Jack The Ripper.
At one point, they received a grant to develop a game for the Nintendo 64 called Gears 4 Tears, which was loosely based on the local bus company “John McGinley Coaches.” The cult, being fascist in nature, was particularly impressed by the company’s punctuality, especially given the “Hiberno-chronotype”. The game only ever reached the beta stage, but to prove to Údarás (the grant-awarding authority) that the funds were being used appropriately, they produced a few demo cartridges specifically for Chartbusters in Letterkenny. There were also plans for a Four Lights tie-in, according to a Reddit user, but no promotional leaflets have been found, as no one thought they would ever become valuable. Additionally, two demo stands were set up where people could play the game. These demos were intended for temporary use and were later destroyed. Given that this was during the Celtic Tiger era, it’s surprising that none of the cartridges ended up hidden away—perhaps under someone’s granny’s mattress.
Údarás had provided them with 500K for an N64 development kit. Curious to learn more, I posted about the game on Reddit to see if anyone else had played it. To my surprise, the post sparked a lot of interest and brought people together. Many users from r/Donegal and r/Ireland shared their fond memories of the game, while others engaged in some of the driest arguments I’ve ever witnessed. As the discussion grew, people began uncovering tracks from the original soundtrack (OST). If you happen to find any music from the OST, please reach out to me on Instagram!
Since then, Daniel MC Garrigle and Pearse Owens managed to recover two long-lost pieces of footage from the game. The OST is gradually being pieced together, and with each new track discovered, it’s clear that the soundtrack is every bit as impressive as the game itself. Some of the sounds are so unique that I didn’t even think they were possible on the N64. It’s been incredible to see the community come together over this project. People’s enthusiasm and dedication have been genuinely moving.
Before touching on the music, the visual concept is very special. Spell it out for us laypeople.
So as it happens, the actual game cover we have been using for our uploads was just a mockup that I made myself, there was never a fully realised game cover. As you can see there is a modern Volvo on the bus that could not have been possible at the time, I just made it in honour of the G4T Experience.
The lore is already bit with this one. What do you think sets it apart in terms of energy, where it’s coming from, and where it’s going?
The tracks people have been uncovering from old VHS tapes in their attics are quite distinctive to the N64 era. They feature Buck Bumble-style ambient jungle with a vibe reminiscent of LTJ Bukem. The warbly, out-of-tune effect from these ageing VHS tapes is characteristic of the kind of discoveries you’d expect when digging through old attic storage! Back then, game soundtracks were sometimes released on compact discs, so it’s likely this was an intentional release.
The soundtrack also includes some house tracks, which perfectly complement the experience of racing through Donegal, courtesy of your favourite local bus companies. However, I’ve noticed a distinct lack of acid house tracks, which strikes me as odd because I’m certain I remember hearing some in the game as a child. If anyone happens to find any acid house tracks, please let me know!
When I first started receiving tracks for the OST(Exclusively on YT) they were just jungle but I have received some ambient stuff, People don’t know the names of the tracks so they have just been naming them themselves, some have been quite funny. The stories of people finding this music have been equally funny in parts.
It’s a singular, evolving concept with multiple sources of creative input. How do you think it represents the Irish musical community at its best?
Many people don’t realize how deeply connected they are to their local workers. In this case, bus drivers play a huge role in our communities, and their presence is subconsciously woven into the fabric of our daily lives. It’s been wile heartwarming to see people come together to celebrate this connection! On Reddit, users have been sharing specific stories and experiences involving JMG buses and Feda O’Donnell. However, I find it almost sinful that there’s been no mention of Patrick Gallagher and the incredible contributions he’s made to society.
There’s been an overwhelming outpouring of support as people continue to uncover these tracks, which gives me a strong sense that the music represents a diverse and well-rounded group of individuals from the local music scene. The only frustrating part is that none of us know who actually composed the music—it’s a mystery that’s been driving me crazy. I’ve reached out to the developer in hopes of finding some answers.
A sonic thread, very much reminiscent of a slightly bygone realm, runs through the project. Do you think that’s key to honouring the original energy of the project?
Everyone in Donegal remembers the 90s as a vibrant and lively time. No matter your age back then, you only need to spend 10 minutes watching a video or two of Letterkenny from the ’90s on YT to see the amount of life that filled an ordinary day. The streets were bustling with endless traffic, and people walked around with smiles on their faces. It was a different era.
People had genuine plans for the future, any future.
Today, we live in what feels like a very hopeless time, which is why people often look backwards instead of forward. Discovering something from the past—a time before people were divided by hateful, divisive ideologies—has been incredibly rewarding. It’s a reminder of what can bring us together rather than tear us apart. This sentiment is reflected in the Reddit comments, where people have been using the phrase “West Brit” to dismiss doubters and critics.
It all feels like bridges the recent past with the present, looking toward the future. What does the near future hold for it? Should people be looking into stocks at John McGinley?
People should be sending us their sonic finds. We want this thing to have as many tracks as possible. We’re going to have a celebratory gig for this game in aid of Pal Action once we find enough tracks. Get in touch, and please do it ASAP.
Has Patrick Gallagher been informed about this once-in-a-lifetime triumph of audio, visuals, and deep Irish mythos?
We merely adopted the mythos; Patrick Gallagher was born in it. The striking thing about this is basically all these companies are from Ghaoth Dobhair (JMG could argue that Magheraroarty is its own planet) and Mhuintir Rath Na Feirste would probably get thick at the very mention that Rath Na Feirste is more or less just Ghaoth Dobhair in a hat and sunglasses. So it’s very much a local affair that has wee branches in the destinations on their routes so the odd head from Belfast, Dublin and Galway have experiences with these companies. As for the big man PG, Patrick Gallagher was definitely playable in this game. We will definitely find footage of this occurrence. We are dying to get a fully playable ROM from the devs and we are confident that it’s going to happen. In the meantime, keep your eyes out for tunes for the OST, we hope you can find them and send them to us.
You will eventually be able to purchase a very special edition cassette tape from Belfast/Donegal’s own Camellia Sinensis Records once we have an adequate amount of material, after overheads are cleared we will be donating every penny to Pal Action (or another Palestine charity upon further discussion).
A very special thank you to the crew at John Mc Ginley Coaches, who have been very supportive of us finding this game and also to the Feda O Donnell crew. Much love and peace. Keep an eye on the playlist for added tunes and connect with us on b and follow the channels that are uploading tracks.
