Racing at Kilbeggan survived turbulent times in the past

Stan McCormack

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic propelled the country into strange and unprecedented times. On the positive side, it has brought ordinary people together in the sense of helping each other locally, communicating on phones, online etc.

Although much sporting activity has taken place in GAA, soccer, rugby, horse racing and other sporting authorities are all wondering what will happen in the future.

Kilbeggan and Roscommon racecourses are the only ones in the midlands and have been part of a great midland sporting tradition.

Kilbeggan was due to have its first meeting this year on April 24; naturally and correctly, it did not go ahead. When racing resumed, it took place behind closed doors.

While this has been a tough year for horse racing, survival is etched into the DNA at Loughnagore. Historically, Kilbeggan Races is unique in that it survived by being resilient, while larger towns with racecourses disappeared like Mullingar (1967), Athlone (1923), Tullamore (1903), and Birr (1907).

Kilbeggan survives famine and world wars

The first recorded race meeting in Kilbeggan was held on March 9, 1840, with apparently 30,000 in attendance. Remarkably, the races went on to 1855 which meant it carried on through the worst period in Irish history, even worse than now, as one million people died during the Great Famine of the 1840s and another million emigrated.

It started again in Ballard from 1879 to 1885, during the era of Charles Stewart Parnell, Michael Davitt and the Land League, which was one of the most difficult and dangerous periods in our history.

Racing commenced again in 1901 and has been taking place every year since (except during World War II), including land agitation, transport strikes, World War 1 (the races was saved by a last-minute telegram from the House of Commons), the Spanish flu (1918), 1916 Easter Rising period, and the Civil War in the early 1920s.

Kilbeggan races were also under threat of closure by the Racing Board in 1956, 196, and 1969, with a debt of £13,000 at one point. Through the great will of the committee and local people, the money was raised through dances, draws, and card drives, and Kilbeggan survived. The point of this is that many obstacles can be put in your way but with resilience and belief, we can survive and this can also apply to Covid-19.

On a lighter note, Kilbeggan now has nine National Hunt race meetings, including the €100,000 Midland National, which was sponsored by AXA last year and was a great success. Guests in attendance recently included President Michael D. Higgins, the Taoiseach and ambassadors, plus great support from people in the midlands, and those who love the hurdles and chases.

In the period from 1916 to 1923, great horses raced on the track, such as Shaun Spadah (Aintree Grand National winner, 1921); Koko (Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, 1926); Punch (Irish Grand National winner, 1915) and Clonsheever (Galway Plate winner twice). In addition, there was All Sorts, the horse who had to walk home 60 miles after winning the Irish Grand National on Easter Monday 1916, due to the Easter Rising.

In 1983, Rhyme ’n’ Reason was unplaced in Kilbeggan but went on to win the Irish Grand National in 1985 and the Aintree Grand National in 1988. The most recent star to win in Kilbeggan in a novice on June 20, 2016 was Tiger Roll, the dual Aintree Grand National winner and four-time winner at Cheltenham.

At Monksland, Athlone in 1731, a race meeting took place over four days and the novelty event was the 'running footman' with the winner getting a silver watch. It was mainly from 1868 to 1923 in the Garrycastle/Bushfield area that racing took place. John Longworth was the driving force and they even had a jockey room and a refreshment room.

Tragically, in 1863 a young officer Mr Saunders broke his leg in a fall and later died after an operation. Athlone had a constant problem in getting crowds and meetings were very sporadic with often small fields. In 1904, when people arrived a bush was on fire and lasted for two hours and it was a biblical sign for punters when a horse called Bushfire II won the last race. Most of the punters backed him and left the bookies out of pocket.

Many meetings were held to raise funds for bodies such as the Franciscan Order rather than developing racing professionally. The final meeting was held on July 31, 1923, the day before the revived Galway but only 32 runners turned up, and it was appropriate that a horse called Doldrums won a race, as it was the last meeting.

In more recent times, a number of jockeys riding in England have Athlone connections like Stephen Donohoe, Kielan Woods, Adrian Joyce, Paddy Merrigan and Shane Shortall, with Shortall riding 'Road to Riches' to win the Galway Plate. Tom Cleary trains horses in Athlone and tragically his son Sean died on November 1, 2003 (the jockey died in hospital after a fall during a race in Galway). In 2004, his brother Rory (on board Palace Star) won the same race in which Sean sustained fatal injuries.

Racing also took place in Moate from 1889 to 1897. One of the unique happenings in 1889 was a horse called Jack the Ripper winning twice in the midst of the grandstand collapsing, but there were only a few injuries. The big problem in Moate was that Canon Kearney stopped gaming on the public highway and all alcoholic and mineral drinks were banned at the racecourse.

In its final year the plan was to have the races on the Fair Green but permission was not given and it was held in Mr J. Rafferty’s field in Moyally on the outskirts of Moate. There was only 18 runners and it was the end.

There are many more events that could be mentioned, and maybe in the near future crowds can return in big numbers to see further Westmeath racing successes. In the meantime, take care and be safe.