Among the visitors to Fore for the celebration of 50 years of road racing were Richie Cummins, Heatseizers MCC, Longford; James Galligan, Coole; Shane McAndrew, Mullingar; Damien Dunleavey, Ballynacargy, and Micheál Nolan, Heatseizers MCC, Longford. James remembers the late great Joey Dunlop competing at Fore and "the good old days and partying at the Fore races". James now rides a Suzuki GSX-R600 and says the races fostered a lifelong interest in bikes.
Fore Motorcycle Racing Club celebrate half a century of racing
Fore Motorcycle Racing Club were unable to hold their annual road racing event at Walderstown this year because of the insurance problem that has affected bike racing across the country, but they did celebrate a half century of racing with a social gathering in the village on Saturday.
Club members put their energy into organising a BBQ and music, and bike racers and fans from all over the country gathered for a night of nostalgia celebrating 50 years of the Race of the South, from the days racing through Fore village to the current track at Walderstown.
Fore Motorcycle Racing Club member Paul Flynn, Castlepollard, who helped organise the event (second right) with Anne Marie Kelly of Kilcumney, Collinstown, and David Mulvey and Conor Bardon from Coole.
Fore Motorcycle Racing Club chairperson, Michael Halpin, with visitors Paul Power, Faugheen Road Races Supporters Club, and Amy Lanigan, Tramore, Waterford.
Gerry Mulvey, Paddy Stakem and Ted Fagan who is “one of the elder members of the club now at this stage”. Paddy, who is now in his 80s, has a long history of involvement with motorbikes. He didn't compete in road racing, but was a sidecar motocross racer. He built and tuned the bikes and "made the tay as well", and says he would have raced on the roads but his sidecar partner wasn't keen.
Marty McCloy was visiting from Newtownards, County Down, at the weekend, and was enjoying the chat with Rosemary Coffey from the Abbey House in Fore and Keith White from Balbriggan, a member of the Fore MRC. Keith was a road race mechanic in the mid 1990s, including for Marty. Marty, who is now 58, said "the first time I walked in that door I was 16". He added: "I raced around here for maybe 10 years and this is a fantastic circuit, probably in the top three circuits in the country - a superb place, and the club is one of the more professional clubs, even though it's an amateur sport, they're very professional."
Hilda and Clinton Keys from Ballyclare, County Antrim were visiting Fore to pay tribute to their son, Darren, who lost his life racing at Walderstown in 2019. Earlier in the day they visited the place where Darren was killed and placed flowers there in his memory.
Clarrisa Dowdal, Delvin; Kevin Coloe, Delvin; Veronica Bird, Trim; Padraic Lynch, Delvin; Catherine O'Farrell, Archerstown, Delvin and Tess and Jimmy Scully, Dromone, Oldcastle. Serving their food was Barbara Davis of the Buffalo Hut, based in Castlepollard.
This family group were enjoying the atmosphere in Fore on Saturday evening: Aaron and David Coleman from Lickblay, Castlepollard; Lisa Coleman, Cummerstown; Saoirse Coleman, Lickblay; Lisa Coleman, Lickblay, and Charlotte Coleman, Lickblay.
