Jim Traynor, who died in September 2003, told the story of the early years. Most of the material concerning the conception and organising of the first 8-day comes, largely verbatim, from the account by Kerry Sloan, one of the organisers of the first 8-day RÁS Tailteann, published in the the NCA Twenty-first Birthday Book, itself edited by Kerry Sloane in 1959.
Ever since Henri Desgranges founded the fabulous Tour de France away back in the early 1900's, stage racing has caught the imagination of cyclists all over the world.
Here in Ireland the call came later than in most countries. Proximity to England caused the road sport to develop along Time Trial lines. However, even time-trialling was a poor relation branch of the sport for Track Racing was the big attraction.
The split in 1949 swept away all the NCA roadmen leving the NCA predominantly a track racing association with virtually no time-triallists so what road racing there was became Massed Start.
As the NCA regained strength this branch of the sport started to thrive and a road-racing calendar became established and naturally, fed on a diet of cycling reading which highlighted the Tour de France and such legendary figures as Coppi, Kubler, etc. the roadmen started to think in terms of stage racing.
The first stage race was held in August 1950 when the Western CC, Belfast, put on a Belfast - Dublin - Belfast Two Day for the 'Irish News Cup. (The Western had run a Belfast - Dublin one-day race since 1948.).
The following year, 1951, the British League of Racing Cyclists promoted its Tour of Britain, a 12-day race sponsored by the Daily Express and invited an NCA team to compete. The team was Karl McCarthy (winner of the Belfast - Dublin - Belfast), Con Carr, Eddie Hawkins, Matt Sands and Joe Lennon.
In spite of their lack of experience in long distance massed start racing and stage racing the team did very well in the event which had stages up to 150 miles. McCarthy was placed on several stages and finished ninth overall. Lennon became the hero of the race when after three crashes he finished second on the final stage in London swathed in bandages.
After this support for stage racing became greater than ever and in 1952 there were three events, a 3-day Tour of Munster, a 2-day RÁS Laighean and the Belfast - Dublin.
At this time interest in a Tour of Ireland type of race was at its height and two men were trying to put such a race on the road. One was Joe Christle of Dublin's Gate RC who was negotiating with the Irish Press who were interested in sponsoring such a race.
These negotiations reached an advanced stage and the 1952 Racing Calendar included a Tour of Ireland. However, just as the final contract was ready to be drawn up, a spanner was thrown into the works. The Irish Press wanted CRE to compete in the race under terms which were completely unacceptable to the NCA and that was that.
While Joe Christle was working in Dublin, Pat McAllister, (who organised the Belfast - Dublin) was working on the problem in Belfast. He had been team manager of the Irish team in the Tour of Britain and had contacts with the Daily Express.
His aim was for a Daily Express Tour of Ireland. However, he ran into stiff opposition at home for many felt that it would be unwise for the NCA to help in publishing this newspaper in Ireland. However the Daily Express withdrew from cycle racing altogether and this probably avoided a further split in the NCA. As it was Western CC left the Association.
In 1953 among the increasing number of stage races being promoted was a 2-day RÁS Tailteann from Dublin to Enniscorthy. The inaugural RÁS was held on the weekend of September 19/20, attracting a good field of 52 riders despite being so late in the year, only a week before the end of the road-racing season.
Mick Carr (Cork) probably had no idea when he won the first stage, 90 miles from Dublin to Wexford, that he was leading home the first of hundreds of RÁS stages.
It was a good decisive win, Carr coming home on his own, 34 seconds ahead. The Carrigtwohill rider broke away from the field at Enniscorthy. He was chased home by a 4-man group led in by Mick Cahill (Harps CC).
Stage 1 Dublin - Wexford, 90m.: 1, M. Carr (Cork) 4.20.26; 2, M. Cahill (Harps CC); at 34secs; 3, W. Scannell (National CC); 4, C. O'Reilly (Antrim); 5, C. Dunne (Harps CC), all same time.
The stage back to Dublin was longer, 110 miles and Colm Christle's stage win gave him the overall victory, and a place in the record books as the first RÁS winner.
Frank Reilly (Meath) attacked shortly after the start. Five miles later he was joined by Con Carr (North Kildare) and Leo Collins (Meath) and these three had a lead of 2 minutes at New Ross.
Colm Christle (St. James's Gate) bridged the gap to the leaders and then Kerry Sloan (North Kildare) made it across. Christle had a puncture but was able to change and get back to the leaders.
As the race entered its final stages, only Christle, Collins, Carr and Sloan remained of the original break and they had been joined by J. Moran (St. Lawrence); P. McKenna (St. James's Gate), Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry); T. Caldwell (Belfast) and O. Cullerton (Wexford).
In a close sprint Christle got the verdict from Culleton with the other Gate rider McKenna third. The top five on overall all finished in the winning break.
Stage 2 Wexford - Dublin, 110m.: 1, C. Christle (St. James's Gate) 5.01.03; 2, O. Cullerton (Wexford); 3, P. McKenna (St. James's Gate); 4, Lieut. K. Sloan (Nr. Kildare); 5, J. Moran (St. Lawrence); 6, P. Fitzgerald (Kerry); 7, L. Collins (Meath); 8, T. Caldwell (Belfast); 9, C. Carr (Nr Kildare); 10, C. O'Reilly (Belfast).
General Classification: 1, C. Christle (St. James's Gate) 9.20.39; 2, P. McKenna (St. James's Gate) at 30s; 3, K. Sloan (Nr. Kildare) at 1.01; 4, J. Moran (Wicklow) at 1.23; 5, P. Fitzgerald (Kerry) at 7.40; 6, L. Collins (Meath) at 11.16; 7, W. Scannell (National CC) s.t.; 8, C. O'Reilly (Belfast) at 11.31; 9, C. Dunne (Harp CC) at 14.45; 10, H. O'Toole-King (St. James's Gate) s.t.
Team: St. James's Gate (C. Christle, P. McKenna, H. O'Toole-King) 28.17.13.
In 1953 the Government initiated An Tostal and asked all sports bodies to participate. Sloan's acount is highly critical of the NCA Executive who 'thought in terms of 50 kilos handicaps, while CRE jumped in and offered to run a big 4-day race'.
With sponsorship from An Tostal, Aspro and Hercules Cycles the Tostal Tour was a big success throughout most of the country, although it had a hard time in the NCA heartlands of Kerry. The success of the event was a big blow to the NCA with 1953 the blackest year in its history.
A NCA Tour was therefore considered a must but it was widely believed that such a race without sponsors was impossible. Sloan wrote:
'I was one of the few who thought that the race could be run without sponsors, although such help would be very welcome. Accordingly I called a meeting of the cyclists in Dublin and the surrounding counties in the Autumn of 1953 to discuss the problem and to see what help would be forthcoming from them.
'The handful who attended the meeting thought that Kerry Sloane had gone mad and their attitude showed it. The meeting decided to let me go ahead but no useful suggestions or offers of help were forthcoming.
'Next morning, however, I got a phone call from Joe Christle. He had not been at the meeting but knew all about it. He had done a considerable amount of work on the subject of a stage race, during the abortive negotiations with the Irish Press, and would like to have a chat with me.
'The 'chat' brought to light the fact that we both thought it worth while to chance running the race without sponsorship. We decided to go ahead and plan the race on the assumption that there would be no sponsors. At the same time every effort would be made to get a sponsor'.
'Only one obstacle remained to be negotiated. The NCA had to give its official blessing and the Executive Council, not very revolutionary at the best of times, was not too keen to allow a hair-brained scheme such as an unsponsored eight-day race, to go ahead.
'However, thanks to President Jim Killean, who backed the scheme to the hilt, the Executive grudgingly gave its blessing on the condition that no financial burden be put on the Executive and that full details of the race would have to be put before the Council a week before the start and that if was thought that the arrangements were not satisfactory, it would call the race off.'
John O'Reilly and Bernie O'Brien were added to help with the organisation and when O'Brien later withdrew due to illness in 1955 he was replaced by Frank Baird. Throughout that winter a route was selected, hotels booked, subscriptions and programme advertising collected, transport borrowed, riders instruction manual compiled as the organisers, with no previous experience, discovered the enormity of the task they had embarked on.
No announcement of the proposed RÁS was made until after the CRE's 7-day Tostal Race were issued. Eighty English and 30 CRE would take part in a race of seven days which included a rest day in the middle. The race was to be in April.
However when the RÁS was announced as a 1,000 mile 8-day in August, the CRE, fearing that their heavinly sponsored showpiece would be overshadowed, significantly increased their route to seven full days with 800 miles of racing.
This was far too much for the largely inexperienced field, especially so early in the year and the field was already reduced to half when the weather broke and most of the field abandoned in a snowstorm with only a handful reaching the finish in Dublin.
Meanwhile the RÁS Tailteann was having its own troubles. After much hard work the necessary finance had been raised. The CRE were saying that a race without sponsors was impossible and that the organisation would collapse leaving riders stranded and that no-one in the NCA was capable of putting on such an event.
Many NCA riders had their doubts and with three weeks to go only a dozen had entered. However after much canvassing, persuading and cajoling 39 riders were on the start line when GAA Secretary Paddy O'Keefe dropped the starting flag at the GPO in O'Connell Street, Dublin.
The Irish Independent billed the race as an 'Irish-style Tour de France", giving the preview an unprecedented amount of publicity for an NCA event. Thirty-nine riders were entered with teams from Ulster, Cork, Kildare, Louth, National CC, St. James Gate CC, Connacht, Kerry, Meath, Harp CC, Army, Tailteann, Waterford who had two riders and single entries from Tyrone, Wexford, Tipperary, Antrim, Limerick and two individual entries, Paddy O'Callaghan of Kerry and Pat Murphy (Gate).
The race was to cover almost 1,000 miles and take in 23 counties. pre-race favourites were Terry Carmody (Kerry), Con Carr (Kildare) and the Christle brothers Colm and Mick from the Gate.
The RÁS was a huge success from the start where thousands of Dubliners blocked the thoroughfare to sheer the riders and the event wended its way round the four provinces in a triumphal procession. At one point a train actually stopped on the line as the passengers got out to watch the race go by.
It was the annual holiday fortnight and holiday-makers touring the country by car joined in with the official cavalcade, following for days. In Tralee, with the Kerry team doing so well, an estimated 20,000 lined the finishing straight for nearly a mile.
Joe O'Brien, a 19-year-old apprentice mechanic, riding for the National CC won the opening stage, 103 miles from Dublin to Wexford.
Animator of the opening stage was Paddy White (Army) who had a 100-yard lead at Newland's Cross on the Naas Road. He was caught but went again with Tom Flanagan (Meath), Seamus McGreevy (Ulster), Phil Clarke (Gate) and Terry Carmody (Kerry).
After 61 miles the break was caught and at Ferrycarrig Bridge, 2.5 miles from the finish Victor Bridges (Wexford) got away. He was joined by Mick Palmer (Connacht) and O'Brien who attacked from Palmer's wheel to win by 5 seconds from a fast finishing bunch.
On stage 2 Mick Christle (Gate CC) was first into Cork, outsprinting Willie O'Brien (Cork) with Cecil O'Reilly (Antrim), who was two lengths behind, in third place taking the yellow jersey by 23 seconds from P. O'Shea (Army).
On Stage 3 the huge crowd in Tralee saw Kerry rider Terry Carmody take the stage and the overall lead. He won the sprint from Phil Clarke (Gate CC) with another Kerry rider third, a youthful E. Mangan, better known as Gene, who was to become a RÁS legend in the coming years. Joe O'Brien was lying second overall at 6.03.
Cecil Reilly was back in yellow after the fourth stage, 110 miles to Ennis. Yellow jersey Carmody fell victim to the first of what were to become a distinctive feature of the event, a "Ras special' where a big break goes away to build up a huge lead, with the rest of the field losing any chance of overall honours.
Nine riders survived in the lead to the finish where Paddy White (Army CC) won a close sprint from O'Reilly but the bunch, including the yellow jersey came home over 20 minutes behind. Reilly led White on overall by 1.01.
There was tragedy when Andrew Christle, brother of the race director Joe and competitors Mick and Colm was killed in a motorcycle accident in Tralee. The Gate team withdrew from the race.
The RÁS had its first time-trial on the Thursday and it was to be the longest ever in the event, 40 miles from Ennis to Galway, and it undoubtedly decided the final outcome. It that wasn't enough the riders then had an afternoon 58 miles stage to Athlone.
Joe O'Brien won the time-trial by 56 seconds from Paddy O'Callaghan (Kerry) with Willie O'Brien (Cork) a further 13 seconds down. With O'Reilly only eighth, 3.02 minutes down, O'Brien took back the jersey with O'Reilly second 2.06 in arrears.
The strain was telling on these riders, none of whom had ever ridden a week-long race and three of the Kerry team retired before the afternoon stage and a further rider packed in during the stage.
After 30 miles Tommy Flanagan (Meath) and J. O'Meara (Waterford) went away. They were chased by Cork pair W. O'Brien and P. Hickey, V. Bridges (Wexford) and Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry) and these four caught the leaders, the six then holding a 2 minute advantage. O'Meara and Hickey were dropped in the final miles leaving Flanagan to win the sprint from the remaining four. There was no change at the top of the GC.
The marathon event, with over 100 miles racing on every stage except the split stage which totalled 96, continued to take its toll and two of the Army riders, White and Rowe, failed to start on Friday. Army had been strong challengers in the team race and barring accidents, National were almost assured of victory in this category.
Willie O'Brien (Cork) won the sixth stage, 106 miles to Armagh City, in a 4-man sprint but with both Joe O'Brien and nearest challenger Cecil Reilly finishing in the main group, over 12.42 behind the stage winner, there were no changes at the top.
Willie O'Brien, Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry), with Meath pair Tommy Flanagan and Tom Gerrard started the main move of the day only four miles after the start and stayed away to the finish. On the stage into Ulster the northern riders were prominent in the pursuit with Joe McIvor (Tyrone) and Seamus McGreevy (Ulster) both in groups which finished in front of the bunch.
Steve Abbott (Harp CC) and McIvor finished 5th and 6th 4.32 behind the leading four with McGreevy and Frank Ward (Harp CC) 1.02 further behind.
Saturday's 117 miles stage from Armagh to Newry produced the only bunch finish of the week with Willie O'Brien (Cork) taking his second stage in a row with Christy Dunne (Harp CC) and Mick Palmer (Connacht) next best of the 34 riders who sprinted for the line on the Belfast Road. The top two were unchanged but Palmer came from nowhere to third overall at 7.39.
The final stage went to Dungannon's Joe McIvor, riding as the sole representative of Tyrone. After an early break they were all back together at Drogheda when McIvor, Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry), and Victor Bridges (Wexford) went away. Bridges dropped back at Slane with mechanical trouble and at 50 miles the two in front were 2 minutes clear.
By Kells the gap was over 4 minutes but a spirited chase was developing behind. At Navan it was 3.5 minutes and by Clonee it was down to 1 minute. Entering the Phoenix Park McIvor attacked just before Fitzgerald got caught by the fast closing bunch. At the line McIvor had only 5 lengths in hand over Frank Ward (Harp CC) who won the sprint from Cecil O'Reilly (Antrim) and Steve Abbott (Harp CC).
The team race which had been close for the first half of the race, became easier for National CC after the withdrawal of Gate and Army. With O'Brien on the National team were Paddy Edgerton and Dick Sweeney. Meath finished second over 15 minutes down.
Final General Classification: 1, J. O'Brien (National CC) 40.01.29; 2, C. O'Reilly (Antrim) at 2.23; 3, M. Palmer (Connacht) at 9.39; 4, D. Ryan (Limerick) at 10.04; 5, F. Ward (Harp CC) at 10.13; 6, P. Fitzgerald (Kerry) at 12.27; 7, C. Dunne (Harp CC) at 14.02; 8, P. Rogers (Ulster) at 14.49; 9, T. Flanagan (Meath) at 23.25; 10, P. O'Callaghan (Kerry) at 24.40; 11, T. Gerrard (Meath) at 26.41; 12, C. Carr (Kildare) at 26.59.
Team: 1, National CC 121.10.52; 2, Meath 121.26.07; 3, Harp CC 121.27.56; 4, Ulster 121.28.47; 5, Kildare 121.29.27.
King of the Mountains: Cecil O'Reilly (Antrim).
Despite the fact that virtually the entire field had never raced over three days, only nine riders retired and four were the Gate team who withdrew after the death of Andrew Christle.
Despite its success pessimists were convinced there would not be a second Ras. Needless to say they were wrong and having learned from experience the organisation of the second 8-day was much improved with loudspeaker vans, sag wagons, team cars, motor cyclists, the whole works.
A six-month publicity drive had worked up the enthusiasm of both cyclists and the public. The first year publicity had literally to be beaten out of the national Press but this time they co-operated magnificently.
Urban and County Councils all over the country asked for the race to be routed their way. The future of the RÁS was assured. There were sixty starters and the race developed into a battle between Dublin and Kerry.
The opening stage was from Dublin to Newry. After an early break was caught was caught after Dundalk three riders then went away Denis O'Connor (Dublin), Mick Palmer (Connacht) and Malachy Denny (Gate RC).
They had 2 mainutes in hand over the climb out of Newtownhamilton where Palmer attacked, opening up a gap of 30 seconds before breaking his chain and being passed by the other two. However he borrowed a bike from a spectator and managed to finish third, 25 second behind O'Connor. Gene Mangan (Kerry) led in the bunch nearly 2 minutes down.
The 140m. second stage from Newry to Sligo, won by Tommy Flanagan (Meath) is one of the longest raced in the Ras. Frank Ward (indiv.), Denis O'Connor (indiv.), Sean Condron (indiv.), Denis Ryan (Limerick), Tom Flanagan (Meath), Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry) and Pat Murphy (Dublin) went away and established a lead of over 2 minutes.
Several small groups got up to the leaders and after 50 miles there were 10 in the leading group including Brian Monaghan (Down) and Joe Mcivor (Tyrone), which kept increasing its lead and at Carrickmore they were 11 minutes ahead.
This had dropped to 7 minutes by Kesh but the ten stayed away to finish over 5 minutes ahead in Sligo where Flanagan took the sprint. O'Connor retained the yellow jersey from Fitzgerald with Monaghan third.
Gene Mangan (Kerry) won the first of 12 career Ras stage victories on the 75 miles second stage, a sprint in those days, from Sligo to Westport. O'Connor retained the jersey, finishing in the bunch 2.01 behind the stage winner.
Mick Palmer (Connacht) a Mayo man, tried hard to bring off a home win and went away on a solo effort before Castlebar which lasted for 30 miles but came to nothing when he was caught by a chasing group of eight near the finish.
Mangan and Steve Abbott (Dublin), unquestionably the two best sprinters in the country fought out a close sprint in Westport with the Kerryman getting the victory on this occasion. There was no change at the top.
Frank Ward won the 91 miles stage from Westport to Ennis ahead of Paddy O'Callaghan (Kerry). O'Connor retained the yellow jersey with little change overall except for Paud Fitzgerald (Kerry) who fell and lost 4 minutes, Brian Monaghan (Down) moving to 2nd overall.
After 40 miles the main break of the day went away containing Gerry Keogh (Dublin), Frank Ward (indiv.), Con Carr (Kildare), Basil Reilly (Meath) Pat O'Callaghan (Kerry) and Mickey Mooney (Down). These six built up a good lead by the finish in Westport where Ward was best 2.46 ahead of the bunch led in by Gene Mangan (Kerry).
Steve Abbott (Dublin) and Gene Mangan (Kerry) resumed their sprinting duel at the finish in Tralee of the fifth stage, 89 miles from Ennis with this time the Kerryman losing out before an enormous home crowd.
In a big bunch sprint Mangan looked a winner until he swerved to avoid a manhole cover some 20 yards from the line giving Abbott the opportunity to squeeze through for the narrowest of verdicts.
On GC O'Connor retained his lead from Monaghan, Mangan moving up to 5th. In the team race Kerry led Dublin by 3 minutes.
O'Connor lost his lead on the sixth stage which saw some serious climbing in Kerry with Steve Abbott (Dublin) taking the KOM primes at Lady's View and Liberty Hill which, along with a second to Gene Mangan at the Tunnel Road, saw him lead the mountains classification by 8 points to 5 for Tommy Flanagan (Meath).
Over the climbs and descents an 8-man group formed at the front including Mangan and Abbott. At Kenmare they were chased by a seven, 3 minutes down, while the yellow jersey was 12 minutes back the road and it stayed that way to the finish. Steve Abbott (Dublin) who finished fourth on the stage took the yellow jersey by 11 seconds from Gene Mangan (Kerry).
Gene Mangan (Kerry) had his second stage win of the week on the 129 miles stage from Cork to Wexford and took the jersey from Steve Abbott (Dublin) who finished in the bunch, well down.
After 28 miles there was a nine-man group with a one-minute lead: Mick Christle (Dublin), Mickey Mooney (Antrim), Victor Bridges (Wexford), Leo Collins (Meath), Pat O'Callaghan (Kerry), Joe Lennon (Louth), Mick Palmer (Connacht), Seamus Healy Tipperary) and Jack Crowe (Kildare).
After 60 miles they were all together and Christle went away again with Tom Ryan (Tipperary), Basil Reilly (Meath) and Mickey Mooney (Antrim). Groups of riders got up to the leaders leaving a big break over 2 minutes ahead at Carrick-on-Suir and this group stayed away to the finish where Mangan won from Christle with Pat Hickey (Cork) third.
The final stage, 104 miles from Wexford to Dublin,ended in a disputed win for Sean Condon (Tailteann CC) from Seamus McGreevy (Down), the verdict first going to the Newry rider before being reversed.
Shortly after the start McGreevy and Fin Healy (Cork) went away and they were joined by Jim Curley (Tailteann) and finally by Condron. Curley dropped back, the other three building up a 2.30 lead.
The yellow jersey finished in the bunch led in by Steve Abbott (Dublin) 2.07 behind the break. Kerry won the team race by over 7 minutes.
Final General Classification: 1, G. Mangan (Kerry) 37.47.19; 2, F. Ward (indiv.) at 2.19; 3, M. Palmer (Connacht) at 3.12; 4, S. Abbott (Dublin) at 7.29; 5, P. Hickey (Cork) at 13.11; 6, D. O'Connor (indiv.) at 14.17.
Team: 1, Kerry (G. Mangan, P. Fitzgerald, P. O'Callaghan) 114.15.27; 2, Dublin (S. Abbott, G. Keogh, M. Denny) 114.22.56; 3, Cork (P. Hickey, J. Varian, F. Healy) 114.37.31.
King of the Mountains: S. Abbott (Dublin).
When Kerry having won the individual and team race returned to the "kingdom' they were accorded a reception such as only the Kerry footballers got after winning an All-Ireland. In Westport third placed Mick Palmer was met by a torchlight procession and all over the country presentations were made by towns and counties to their riders. The RÁS had taken its place among Ireland's top sporting events.
