10 favourite Irish riders

[Bavarian]

Here are some magazine quotes of 1928/29 about Irish Speedway

 

 

IRELAND

 

From MOTORCYCLING:

19 September 1928

  A COMPANY with the title The Belfast Speedway And Sports Club, Ltd., are to erect, at an estimated cost of 15,000 Pounds, a dirt track known as Looplands, and situated in Belfast between the Castlereagh and Cregagh roads.

 

 

From THE MOTOR CYCLE:

20 September 1928

  IRELAND’S FIRST TASTE OF THE DIRT

  ON a track which in the opinion of Buzz Hibbert and Taffy Williams, compares favourably with many in England, Ireland’s first cinder meeting was held by the Leinster Club in Dublin on Saturday. Apart from exhibitions given by Hibbert and Williams, the feature of the meeting was the riding of T. G. Byrne (Ariel), T. Jenkinson and P. Keville, local lads who were only introduced to the cinders a month or so ago. Best time for the mile (four laps) was

1 m. 43 s. by Hibbert.

 

 

From THE AUTO –Motor Journal:

23 May 1929

  Larry Coffey, the North of Ireland champion, has now signed on with the B.D.T.R.A. Ltd., for their Manchester White City track. Larry was a popular favourite with Salford crowds towards the end of last season. So far he has not managed to reproduce last season’s form, but there is still time for improvement.

 

From THE AUTO –Motor Journal:

20 June 1929

  “Dab” Boston, the half-mile champion of the United States, was the premier attraction at the Audenshaw meeting on June 15^th, and he justified his inclusion by winning the third place in the final of the “Flying Nine” Scratch race, which was won by E. Jennings (Rochdale) with Larry Coffey, the Northern Irish champion second, in 2 min., 27 4/5 secs., for the two miles.

 

From THE AUTO –Motor Journal:

20 June 1929

  Larry Coffey, the Northern Irish champion, provided the thrills at the Audenshaw half mile track on June 18^th.

 

From THE AUTO –Motor Journal:

15 August 1929

  An Irish correspondent reports that there is every sign that the old B.D.T.R.A. track at Windsor Park in Belfast is likely to be re-opened very soon. The Motor Cycle Union of Ireland have already been approached and have informed the Company that provided all the rules and regulations of the Union are complied with, a permit will be issued for their meetings. The new Company has amongst its directors two well-known figures in the Northern Speedway World, C. J. P. Dodson and “Ossie” Wade, and with these two live wires at the head of affairs it should not be long before there is something doing.

  

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Bavarian said:

Fay Taylour certainly was/is the most famous of all the Irish spedway products. However, I rate another late 1920's pioneer rider from Belfast way above her. The largely forgotten Larry Coffey was a great rider but unfortunately his career didn't last long enough, as he was killed ca.1930 in a race accident, not sure at which track, though 

Of the 1950s the top two Irish speedway riders were Dom Perry and Eric French, some others from Dublin were Alan Marr, Ginger O'Bierne, Mick Savage, Des Monson, Derek Edwardes, and Cherlei O'Hara.

I was interested to see the name of Eric French, best known for his post war seasons with New Cross. I always understood that while his parents were Irish that he was born in the UK, so I left him off the list. However Wikipedia claims he was born in Ireland, but brought to the UK when just one year old.

As a speedway rider he was capped for England in tests against Australia. And on a speedway reputation undeniably due to his birth origins Ireland's best speedway rider.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_French

Edited January 30, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

9 hours ago, WalterPlinge said:

surely the most famous Irish rider ever was Fay Taylour?

 

9 hours ago, iris123 said:

Be difficult to include her in ‘favourite’ seeing as she was classed a traitor,even though she was quite possibly the best Irish rider of them all.But she was also probably the most famous,as you say

I was at New Cross in 1948 when promoter Fred Mockford staged a special meeting to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of speedway in Britain and his subsequent then promotion at Crystal Palace.

The guest of honour was Fay Taylour who was given a wonderful reception by the near 20,000 crowd. And this was just two years after the end of the war. Nobody seemingly was concerned about her WW2 activities.

Two years previously, in 1946, about a year after the war ended, then West Ham team manager Frank Arnold actually gave Fay a speedway trial and attempted to sign her as a Hammers team rider. He was refused permission - nothing to do with WW2 happenings but because there was at the time a ban on women speedway riders. As a result she returned to circuit and midget car racing racing extensively in Britain, Europe, the USA and New Zealand until the early 1950s.

Edited January 30, 2019 by Guest

[iris123]

Did you know who she was and that she was interned during the war for her political affiliation,when you attended that meeting?

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Did you know who she was and that she was interned during the war for her political affiliation,when you attended that meeting?

No I did not know about her wartime internment but I did know that she had been a speedway and grass track rider. But I am certain promoters Fred Mockford and Cecil Smith did, along with her old Crystal Palace team mate Ron Johnson and many of the other riders - most from preWW2 seasons, and quite a few track staff. Also more than likely a very high per centage of the 20,000 spectators did as well.

 

Edited January 30, 2019 by Guest

[iris123]

Yes,but that proves little.Let’s not forget the Oswald Mosley fascist movement had quite a few followers as well.And he stayed around a few years after the war and started a new party until he left the country not long after Taylour

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Yes,but that proves little.Let’s not forget the Oswald Mosley fascist movement had quite a few followers as well.And he stayed around a few years after the war and started a new party until he left the country not long after Taylour

Interesting fact that I am aware of but how does it equate to Fay Taylour's presence at the 1948 New Cross celebration meeting and the warm reception she was given by the crowd?

[iris123]

15 minutes ago, gustix said:

Interesting fact that I am aware of but how does it equate to Fay Taylour's presence at the 1948 New Cross celebration meeting and the warm reception she was given by the crowd?

We don’t really know how many,if any of the crowd knew who she was or of  her time in internment.Her last track appearance was 15 or more years before.It could well be many had no idea and just cheered,whilst others in such a crowd showed disapproval.I have been in many crowds of that size and it is impossible to say what each individual was thinking

You surely aren’t trying to tel us 20,000 people were applauding a known fascist?

Edited January 30, 2019 by iris123

[WalterPlinge]

22 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Did you know who she was and that she was interned during the war for her political affiliation,when you attended that meeting?

If Taylour was at New Cross in 1948 it's doubtful any speedway fans would be aware of her Fascist past and her idolisation of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.  

In its article in December 2003 the Irish Times noted  " Amazingly, when she resumed her racing career after the war, this unsavoury episode was airbrushed out of all her publicity. The file on her in the Alexandra College library has many cuttings about her from all over the world, but nowhere is there a mention of the trouble that her extreme right-wing political beliefs got her into. "

Of course MI5 files released in modern times show what a nasty piece of work she was.  

She was imprisoned in 1940 for her support for the British Union of Fascists.   She appealed against imprisonment, but lost the appeal in August 1940.   The MI5 files include some of Taylour's intercepted correspondence, including some that she managed to smuggle out of prison to avoid the censor. In one letter to a friend, she said: "I love Nazi Germany and the German people and their leader and this war seems terribly unfair."

The Home Office released her from prison, against the advice of the Security Services, in October 1943 on condition that she left the UK and stayed in Ireland. 
In the minuting leading up to this decision in June 1943 Taylour is described as "...one of the worst pro-Nazis in Port Erin...she is in the habit of hoarding pictures of Hitler and had in her possession a hymn in which his name was substituted for God's."

In 1944 she was in Ireland, staying at the headquarters of the Girls' Friendly Society in Upper Merrion Street, Dublin.  By 1947, she was working for a Dublin company selling farm harvest machinery.  She was also into farming herself at this stage, but in 1949, she was lured away again by speed, cars and glamour. She had an offer from a US car dealer to go and work for him in Hollywood selling Jaguars and MGs and she couldn't pass up the chance of meeting so many stars.

 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, WalterPlinge said:

If Taylour was at New Cross in 1948 it's doubtful any speedway fans would be aware of her Fascist past and her idolisation of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler.  

Many of the crowd were adults - and some obviously had been involved in some way with immediate pre- and war time happenings. The wartime offences she was detained for were publicised at the time in the National Press so were hardly hushed down at that time.

I think that people in those days were more tolerant towards others. If they knew as many must have of Fay Taylour and her war misdeeds they were probably prepared to forgive?

The New Cross management were also obviously forgiving by inviting her to the anniversary speedway meeting and so it would appear, as I mentioned previously, when in 1946 West Ham wanted to sign her as a team rider.

And Taylour  was also allowed post-war to enter the USA, Australia and New Zealand without any problems.

[andout]

Mike Tams

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, andout said:

Mike Tams

When the late Mike Tams was in regular contact with me I understood that he and his brother were born in Canada but taken to England as children. I am intrigued that he may well have been Irish. An interesting comment andout.

[andout]

15 minutes ago, gustix said:

When the late Mike Tams was in regular contact with me I understood that he and his brother were born in Canada but taken to England as children. I am intrigued that he may well have been Irish. An interesting comment andout.

He was actually born in Winnipeg, Canada but spent an awful lot of time in Ireland.....and was, maybe unofficially, known as an Irish-Canadian.

He did also ride for Ireland many times and I believe he was the Captain on several occasions.

Edited January 30, 2019 by andout

[Ovalman]

Sullivan Doyle Murphy OLeary Brady OHooligan Milligan ONeill Obama ODear

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, auntie doris said:

Sullivan Doyle Murphy OLeary Brady OHooligan Milligan ONeill Obama ODear

Osillybegger!!!!

Edited January 31, 2019 by Guest

[Andy Downes]

Not sure but wasn't Mike Fitzpatrick, 1980's reserve/second halfer at Hackney and Rye among others Irish?

 

may possibly have been second generation

[Guest]

Here's Top Ten Irish riders I have collated from previous nominations in this thread:

Fay Taylour, Dom Perry, Eric French, Alan Marr, Ginger O'Bierne, Mick Savage, Des Monson, Derek Edwards, Tommy Kieran, Alan Marr.

[Guest]

On 1/30/2019 at 5:13 PM, Bavarian said:

Fay Taylour certainly was/is the most famous of all the Irish speedway products. 

A detailed analysis of Fay Taylour's life and racing career.

https://thevintagent.com/2017/10/03/from-glorious-to-notorious-the-fay-taylour-story/

[iris123]

24 minutes ago, gustix said:

A detailed analysis of Fay Taylour's life and racing career.

https://thevintagent.com/2017/10/03/from-glorious-to-notorious-the-fay-taylour-story/

Seems like a few mistakes in there,but otherwise a good read

She surely wasn’t the first European or US dirt track rider to visit Australia!!!

Edited January 31, 2019 by iris123

[Guest]

30 minutes ago, gustix said:

A detailed analysis of Fay Taylour's life and racing career.

https://thevintagent.com/2017/10/03/from-glorious-to-notorious-the-fay-taylour-story/

 

6 minutes ago, iris123 said:

Seems like a few mistakes in there,but otherwise a good read

She surely wasn’t the first European or US dirt track rider to visit Australia!!!

Contact the author re the/any mistakes. I agree that USA dirt track riders raced in Australia before Fay Taylour - possibly one of them was Lloyd 'Sprouts' Elder?