The annual general meeting of Castleisland Horse and Pony Race Committe was held on Friday night. The meeting heard of plans for the return of the two-day racing festival in June along with a raft of associated events.
Some of these are at the planning stages at present and will be revealed in good time.
Committee Elected
A committee was elected and it comprises of: Chairman / Director, Charlie Farrelly; Directors: Ronan Burke; Kay Reidy; Martina O’Mahony; Secetary: Kay Reidy; associated members: Pat Hartnett, John Ryan, Martin Conway, Willie Reidy, Tom O’Sullivan, Bill Reidy, Ted Kenny, James Maher and Mags O’Sullivan. Castleisland race meetings go back 158 years and the committee claims it as the oldest race meeting in Ireland.
This year’s meeting will be held over two days again after a few years of it being reduced to one.
Powell’s Road in June
The event will be held at Powell’s Road on the Saturday and Sunday of the bank holiday weekend of June 3rd and 4th.
The race festival will start on Friday night, June 2nd with the annual Humphrey Murphy Memorial 5K and 10K Road Race / Fun Run.
There is a serious, charity fundraising side to all this activity and, so far, the committee has raised and presented a total of €124,790 to local charities and community projects.
This year the proceeds of the fun run will again go to Glebe Lodge Residental Care Centre at Kilbanivane in the Brosna Road.
Vintage Rally
Added attractions this year will be a Vintage Rally and open air entertainment and live music on Sunday.
Also, the new attraction for the races this year will be that all horses entered will come from an open draw and will run on level weights. This will encourage all the top horses in the country and beyond to take part.
The beneficiaries of the races this year will be Castleisland Soccer Club’s proposed community, all weather pitch; Feilcom Family Support Group; Castleisland and District Social Club; Home from Home after School Support Group with Disabilities and local volunteers travelling to Kenya on a charity mission.
Community Initiative
This is the second time that the race committee has rowed in behind a community initiative having previously supported the hugely successful drive for the community playground at Tonbwee. In that case the committee donated €10,532-87 from its June 2009 races to the specially convened playground committee, Spraoi Oilean Chiarrai.
ROL Construction of London is once again the main sponsor. The club would like to thank Mort Reidy for his sponsorship and Maurice Brosnan for the use of his land at Powell’s Road.
Drive-In Bingo
Other events are currently being planned for the town including open air music and the return of the massively popular open air Drive-in Bingo. Much more detail will be revealed later.
As the races committee anticipates an huge influx of race horses from outside the county and province we would ask any one with suitable stabling facilities to contact any club member.
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