Home Contact Us Stadia Pix Articles All About You Riders to Remember
DVDs Books Pictures Archive Dream Teams Programme Generator
22/09/2024
More Memories
Dream Team: Norman Johns
Your Feedback
 
01/09/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 8: Eric Boocock
Your Feedback
 
25/08/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 7: Phil Crump
Your Feedback
 
18/08/2024
Book Review: Hampden to Workington
 
21/07/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 6: John Louis and John Davis
Rose Tinted Spectacles
 
14/07/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 5: Chris Morton
Your Feedback
 
23/06/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 4: Dave Jessup
Your Feedback
 
16/06/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 3: Malcolm Simmons
Your Feedback
 
02/06/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 2: Ray Wilson
Your Feedback
 
26/05/2024
Ivan Mauger V Britain's Best
Part 1:Nigel Boocock
Your Feedback
 
06/05/2024
Silver Machine Win Gold
Ivan's Fantasy Island
Your Feedback
 
02/04/2024
Tidying Up The Parade
NZ v Australia 1980
Your Feedback
 
24/03/2024
2024 is Off and Running
The Story of Noddy Holder
Your Feedback
 
28/01/2024
1975/76 NZ v England
Your Feedback
 
17/12/2023
DVD: Great Races of the 80s
What's Wrong With Ambition?
Your Feedback
 
29/10/2023
Book Review: Walthamstow
When the Rangers Roared
High Beech Revival of 1954
Your Feedback
 
16/10/2023
Western Springs Winged Wheels
Grand Pricks?
Your Feedback
 
01/10/2023
Blind Speedway Rider
Track Pix: Oxford
Farcical Guest
Your Feedback
 
17/09/2023
The Ole Olsen Tapes
Dream Team: Richard Cleaver
Plus Points
Your Feedback
 
23/07/2023
1974/75 BL V New Zealand
Heat Details Required
Your Feedback
 
04/06/2023
Northside Arena
 
14/05/2023
Review: Tigers at White City
Your Feedback
 
19/03/2023
How to halt the decline
 
12/03/2023
NZ v Poland - 1st Test
NZ v Poland - 2nd Test
NZ v Poland - 3rd Test
NZ v Poland - 4th Test
 
05/03/2023
Track Pictures: North Brisbane
It's All About You: Lionel King
Your Feedback
 
15/01/2023
Dream Team : Geoff Langley
Your Feedback
 
04/01/2023
Gerald Dunn's JAP
Your Feedback
 
27/12/2022
1975 World Final. Heat 20.
Your Feedback
 
11/12/2022
Peter Collins Autobiography
Your Feedback
 
23/11/2022
DVD Review: 70s - A to Z
Your Feedback


Was Dublin First?
By George P Kearns

WAS MOTOR CYCLE SPEEDWAY FIRST INVENTED IN DUBLIN, IRELAND
And not as is taken for granted by so many, in Australia?
Asks George P Kearns,
Author, Writer and Dublin City Local Historian

To Whom It May Concern,

In my research into the history of Motor Cycle Speedway racing in Dublin I came across two very interesting articles on two completely different Internet websites and I feel obliged to pass on this information to Speedway enthusiasts by way of the SpeedwayPlus Website.

First I would tell you that while browsing through the Website, entitled "Where did Motor Cycle Speedway begin in the World?" I clicked into its Personalities section and found an article within, written by the late Johnny Hoskins, the Father of Speedway, which was entitled " Heartbreak Sent me to West Maitland, and as the title implies he tells the reader on just how and why he arrived in Maitland.

According to Johnnie he had thrice visited Sydney with high hopes and a few bob in his pocket, but each trip had resulted in heartbreak. With two bob left in his pocket he arrived in West Maitland and having made a success of running a number of charities stalls and sports programmes in the town he applied for and secured the position of Secretary of the Annual Agricultural Show and proposed a motor cycle sports on the Showground. This idea was rejected, but he persevered and having gathered a bunch of lads to race their motor bikes on the Showground's Trotting Track he finally managed to convince his employers that the idea of a Motor Cycle race was a good one and soon, having changed the name to "Speedway", he was running weekly meetings which began in the Summer of 1923. This happening is accepted by many as being the invention of Speedway,

But if being the first in the World to run a Motor Cycle race on a towns Cinder Trotting track credits a person or group as being the inventor of Speedway, then I will have to put forward the Motor Cycle Union of Ireland as a serious contender for that title as they, having formed on April 7th 1902 in Dublin ran their first Motor Cycle Race on the cinder track of the Ashtown Trotting track, County Dublin on October 18th 1902.

The recording of this event can be viewed on a Website of the Motor Cycle Union. (Direct Link to Article)

I am in the process of putting together a booklet on the history of Speedway in Ireland and I would appreciate receiving any interesting tit-bits of information / or stories etc in connection with same, photographs for use in my publication would be most welcome.

While I am not a Speedway enthusiast, I do have a little knowledge of same and as a retired person, time to research same. I have already published two books on Old Dublin cinemas in recent times, together with some writings on other historical happenings.

You can contact George on georgemamieeircom.net

 

This article was first published on 16th August 2007


 

  • Nigel Bird:

    "Speedway was never invented it evolved from American Dirt Track racing! Australian speedway historians will be upset as yet again someone repeats the Hoskins Myth. The earliest race so far found around a trotting track was at the Old Agricultural Park Los Angeles 1901. Riding motorised bicycles around a trotting track is hardly speedway. The main feature of speedway is broadsiding the turns, could you broadside on a motorised bicycle? "

    [ Use Mobile Version ]
     

     

    Comment on this Article | Contact Us | Go Back to Main Menu

  •    Please leave your comments on this article or on the site as a whole