History of the Barrow Wheelers By Tony Kehoe
History, it is often said, is merely yesterday’s news. Although the Barrow Wheelers was formed on the 23rd of October 1985, it’s important to have a look back on the years before that and see what was happening in the cycling world.
The first reference to cycling in New Ross goes right back to the year 1897 with a photograph showing the start of a bike race from New Ross to Enniscorthy. This was from the famous Cavanagh Collection and we learn that the race had to start early so that the riders would have time to get the train back from Enniscorthy. Also in the collection were photos of Ladies and Gentlemen going on leisure cycles to places like Duncannon. The ladies wore long dresses and fancy hats that may have been fashionable, but certainly not suitable for cycling.
Ever since the Tour De France went on the road way back in the early 1900s, stage racing has caught the imagination of cyclist all over the world. It wasn’t until the Rás Tailteann arrived on the scene in 1953 that we in Ireland could enjoy this wonderful sporting event each year. I was just 14 years old in 1953 when the first stage came through my home town of Enniscorthy on a very wet Saturday in September, on it’s way to Wexford. I stared in awe as the bunch skimmed passed hoping to get a glimpse of our local hero, Ownie Cullerton but I was unsuccessful. The next day the Rás passed through New Ross on it’s was to back to Dublin where Ownie crossed the line in second place behind Colum Christle of Dublin. In 1954 it went from a two day event to eight days, again taking in Wexford as a stage finish. It became every cyclist ambition to ride the Rás but only a few would be good enough and in New Ross we had cyclists like Jim Forestal, Val Lyng, Paddy Browne and Paddy Somers achieving their ambition and can always say, “I rode the Rás”.{mospagebreak}
Paddy Somers was to become the prime mover in getting the Barrow Wheelers up and running and I got to know Paddy in the late 50s when he came to Enniscorthy to ride in beginners races that we were organising to promote cycle racing in the town, even though we didn’t have a club. I eventually joined the CYMS Cycling Club in Wexford town.
In 1961 a strong Wexford team was entered in the Rás Tailteann and it really put Co Wexford on the cycling map. Reading Jim Trayner’s book “The Rás” which has just been published you will see how Frank O’Rourke. J Whitty and P Firman battled it out with the leading Irish cyclists at the stage finishes and on GC. There was great excitement in New Ross when local man Paddy Browne led the Rás through his home town on its way from Clonakilty to Wexford. This is on record as the longest stage ever, being 246km (154miles). It’s interesting to note that Frank O’Rourke finished 3rd in that stage, 45 seconds behind the stage winner Shay O’Hanlon in a time of 7 hours 15 minutes - yes a long time in the saddle.
In 1962 New Ross was again represented when Paddy Somers was selected for the Wexford team. Again the second last stage came through New Ross on its way from Fermoy to Gorey - another massive distance of 219km. Paddy, recalling that stage said that he had hoped to be in a position to lead the race through his home town, but that a small group got away, early that day and he came through ahead of the main Group. He did finish 12th on the stage into Gorey that evening. But Paddy’s racing career was about to come to an end when he left Ireland to work in London. He did join a club in London, that was into leisure cycling and would spend the whole day on Sunday away cycling with stops for refreshments.
I moved to New Ross in 1968 believing that I had finished with Cycling - I didn’t even have a bike then. But things were to change a few years later when cycling really took off in New Ross and the Catch Phase became, “Join the Barrow Wheelers and see the world”
“By the time that your 25 you won’t want to see a bike” So said my teacher back in the mid 50s and you know what! He was right. For most people cycling was something that you do when you were young but that was to change with the arrival of the Kelly/Roche era. We were gripped in an extraordinary mania for cycling, so not alone had we young people cycling, we had the parents and grand-parents getting on their bikes and taking part in such events such as the Co-Operation North, Mara Cycle, Dublin-Belfast-Dublin where cyclist from both sides of the Border could cycle together. The first Mara-cycle took place in 1984 with 8 entries from New Ross and one of those was Seamus Daly who had the distinction of competing in all 15 events.
It wasn’t until October 1985 that the Barrow Wheelers was formed and it’s amazing to see that in our first year we had 78 paid up members of which 16 were female members. All officials elected then, are still active with the club today.
Although racing was to be an important part of the club, other cycling activities were to give fantastic enjoyment to members such as the Hardings Super Randonneur Series with the club hosting the 200k and 600k events. The man behind this was Paddy Somers who was back home from London and running his own business near New Ross. Paddy himself qualify twice for the Paris-Brest-Paris a distance of 1200km and he successfully completed it in the time allow. To qualify a cyclist must have done the 200/300/400 and 600k in the same year.
Another interesting chapter in our history was our involvement with the CTC (Cycling Tour Club) and for many years, club members join with about 1,500 other cyclists and took part in a week of cycling in many beautiful places in England, Scotland or Wales. They were known as the Birthday Rides and were always held on the first week in August as the CTC was formed on the 5th August1878. At one stage the organisers approached the Barrow Wheeler members to see if it was possible to run the Birthday Rides in Ireland, but it would have been too big an undertaking for just a small club so we declined the invite. It’s run in the UK by the local district association of the CTC.
Our sights were then set on lands further afield and two weeks touring on Main Land Europe became the norm. Members have been to most European countries, as far the Czech Republic. It’s disappointed to see how far behind that Ireland lags other countries regards facilities for cycling. This year, members will ride the Danube Cycle Way from the start in Bavaria, down to Budapest a distance of 1367km mainly on dedicated cycle tracks. It has magnificent scenery, fascinating places to visit throughout it’s length and wide diversity. The tour will take three week, so as to allow extra days while in Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest.
Sometimes a tradedy can have a positive effect on people’s lives and such happened when 16 year old Dermot Connic lost his sigh 25 years ago. As he struggle to come to terms with his loss, he was told that cycling was one thing that he could do but it would have to be done on a tandom. It was his sister Anne (Walsh) who came to the rescue and soon Anne and Dermot were regular participants on our Sunday morning spin. The story of Anne Walshe and her brother dermot is a fascinating story that that has yet to be told, but the only thing that I want to say at this stage is that, because of Anne and Dermot, the Barrow Wheelers developed a special bond with the Blazzing Saddles and the National Council for the Blind. Quite a few club members cycled with the Blazzing Saddles in countries around the World, even as far away as Australia and California.
It’s not possible in this brief history to go in great details of the many interesting that we have done in the Barrow Wheelers 0ver the last 24 year, but to finish off I would like to give a brief account of our special fund raising that caught the imagination of the general public.
In 1993 a group of 15 riders, known as the Night Riders and led by Anne Walshe left Killarney at midnight for Wexford to raise funds for a new Cardic Rehab Unit, the first outside of Dublin then. From Clonmel onwards they were join by Day Riders and arriving in New Ross the peloton received a civic reception. The next stop was at Ferrycarrig Hotel where the Night Riders were met by day riders who had cycled from towns and villaged around the County. The last three miles to the Bull Ring was a Grand Finale with the biggest number of cyclist ever seen in Wexford town. South East Radio who had hourely reports all through the night, had their Outside Broadcast Unit at the finish line.
The Last Night Ride was held the fallowing year, but this time it started at midnight from Galway under the heading, “Eyre Sq to New Ross Fair”. The route was Via Birr, Kilkenny, Bagnalstown, Ferns and Enniscorthy and finished at 4pm at the Fair Day Festival in New Ross for a wonderful reception after 174 miles.
What I’m about to write is not a joke, but actually did take place. A team of four cyclist from the club raced against 337 racing pigeons in the Irish National race fron Strathaven near Glasgow in 1992. The pigeons had two journeys to make – the outward by truck and then race home. The cyclist had just the one journey to make. The idea was to raise funds for Medical Research being carried out by a hospital in Glasgow into a problem that can affect some pigeon fanciers - it is similar to farmer’s lung. So who won? Actually the cyclist did by just over an hour. It got front page coverage in the British racing pigeon magazines with headings such as “Birds versus Bikes” and “Wings versus Wheels”. It’s interesting to note that about a year later that a similar event took place between a man versus a grayhound. I believe it was David Beggy, the Meath footballer who raced in Shelbourne Park.
Do you know what! I’d like to meet that teacher from the 50s and I’d tell him about all the fun that you can get out of cycling, even when you do reach 70.
Tony Kehoe
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