Leinster Trophy Car Race 1935-1949

Report

The Leinster Trophy Car Race is the Highlight of the Motorsport Ireland Calendar. It has a long history dating back to 1934, and is currently run over the International Circuit at Mondello Park, Co. Kildare, but was also run at the Skerries Circuit in 1934 before moving to Tallaght (1935-1949), Wicklow (1950-1957), Dunboyne, Co. Meath (1958-1966) and Bishops Court in 1967 before moving to the Mondello Park Circuit.

The Leinster Motorcycle & Car Club was founded in 1921. In 1923 they began organissing 100-mile Motor-Cycle Races, and in 1930 the Leinster Trophy moved to a new circuit around Skerries-Rush-Lusk. In 1934 they ran the first Leinster Trophy Car Race, which was won by Miss Fay Taylour, driving a car owned by Fianna Fail TD, Robert Briscoe.

In 1935 the circuit moved to Tallaght, as the Skerries circuit was not suited to 4-wheeled vehicles, and the race continued around the Tallaght Circuit until 1939, and the outbreak of World War II. It was restarted in 1948, and continued for two years.

Two sons of Arthur Conan-Doyle, who wrote The Sherlock-Holmes books, took part in one of the races.

The race ran from Main St, Tallaght, along to Templeogue Bridge, then down Firhouse Road to Old Bawn, and back up to Main St, Tallaght.

The Circuit moved to Wicklow in 1950 and the Dunboyne, Co. Meath in 1958, before finding a permanent home in Mondello Park, Co. Kildare in 1968. The race became part of Formula Atlantic in 1973 and then in 1978, British Formula 3, with Eddie Jordan, later to own a Formula 1 team, winning the race that year driving a Chevron B29 DBA

Other famous winners have included Formula 1 Champions, Ayrton Senna, in 1982, driving a Van Diemen RF82 Ford, and Mika Hakkinen, in 1988, driving a Reynard FVL Mk.1 Opel 2.0L. it was during this period, 1982 to 1999, that the Leinster Trophy became part of the European Formula Drivers Association. Most winners during this time drove Reynards, either Reynard FVL Mk.1 or Mk.2 Opel 2.0L or Reynard SF84 Ford

In 2000, the race became part of Formula Ford 1600, most years, with Stephen Daly winning twice in 2014-2015, and again in 2018.

References

Websites

[1] South Dublin County Council Library (2018) The Tallaght Motor Racing Circuit 1935-1948 [Internet] Available from: https://localstudies.wordpress.com/2018/08/23/the-tallaght-motor-racing-circuit-1935-1948/ [Accessed 21 January 2020]

[2] South Dublin County Council Library (2018) Motor Race Posters 5 [Internet] Available from: https://localstudies.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/motor-races-poster-5.png [Accessed 21 January 2020]

[3] Manning Brian, Motorsport.ie (2018) Leinster Trophy 75th Anniversary Facts & Figures [Internet] Available from: https://motorsport.ie/2018/09/12/leinster-trophy-75th-anniversary-facts-figures-by-brian-manning/?fbclid=IwAR13bM9MtqJPx6BJL7O09ad90cmzbP_1JrvcFT1it1nEZoF7pik9gLgDWwA [Accessed 14 May 2020]

[4] Motorsport Ireland (2018) Results for 15/16 September 2018 [Internet] Available from: http://www.motorsportireland.com/results/18-09-16/Results_for_15_16_September_2018.aspx [Accessed 14 May 2020]

[5] Motorsport Ireland (2019) Results for 14/15 September 2019 [Internet] Available from: http://www.motorsportireland.com/results/19-09-15/Results_for_14_15_September_2019.aspx [Accessed 14 May 2020]

Images

[6] The Old Neighborhood of Tallaght (2020) Photo by Gerard Byrne January 16, 2020 [Internet] Available from: https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/82831633_2841136469308052_8550734644532740096_o.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_ohc=LgqZziLm1rEAX-d9ty6&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=273a80ebca45486f28c0d39fd4bebc18&oe=5ED8022B [Accessed 21 January 2020]

[7] The Old Neighborhood of Tallaght (2020) Photo by Gerard Byrne January 16, 2020 “Tallaght 1938 a very rural place” [Internet] Available from:https://scontent-dub4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/82451742_2845370152218017_9178026459338375168_o.jpg?_nc_cat=106&_nc_ohc=EtfknZ95SdMAX8oSdep&_nc_ht=scontent-dub4-1.xx&oh=e8e76b2681b2feba22df578c9c98eea9&oe=5E9AADA3 [Accessed 21 January 2020]

[8] Top Gear (2019) Car Race Season Closes with Annual Leinster Trophy [Internet] Available from: https://i2.wp.com/www.topgear.ie/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/fullsizeoutput_5b42.jpeg?zoom=1.25&fit=1024%2C683 [Accessed 14 May 2020]

Further Reading

McCullagh, Robin, The Tallaght Motor Races 1935-1948 (Dublin, 2011).

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Richard Declan Mulcahy

About this document

Researched, compiled and written by Enda Mulcahy for the

Eirball | Irish North American & World Sports Archive

Last Updated: 14 May 2020

(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020

You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.