The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Cahersiveen Races still galloping strong after 200 years
THEY say the Cahersiveen Races are as old as the hills themselves dating back to the 1840s when Daniel O’Connell donated a site at Carhan so the people of south Kerry could enjoy horse racing. But if the Liberator felt it necessary to provide a suitable location, then it tells us the sport was already thriving in Cahersiveen long before the 1840s.
Today, the Cahersiveen Races are as popular as ever attracting large crowds of tourists and locals to Carhan where the reward is a competitive day’s pony racing. This year’s meeting takes place on Saturday, July 29 at 3pm and is bookended by a Dog Show on Friday, July 28 starting at 7pm at the Fair Field, and on Sunday when the ‘Race Dance’ brings the weekend to a close as PJ Murrihy performs at the Kerry Coast Inn.
Liam Musgrave is Secretary and Joint Treasurer of Cahersiveen Race Committee and he has spent over 30 years helping to organise the races. “It’s a huge voluntary effort and it works really well. This is one of the oldest horse and pony meetings in the country stretching back over 200 years,” said Liam.
He explains the huge sense of pride the committee get from not only organising the event, but also counting the number of top class jockeys who have applied their trade at Cahersiveen during the early stages of their career. Names like Bryan Cooper, Jack Kennedy, Paul Townend, Norman Williamson, Brian Crowley and Tom Queally to name but a few, have all raced in Cahersiveen.
“The meeting attracts huge numbers of tourists and horses come from all over Munster as pony racing is a hugely competitive sport in Ireland. Jockey Tom Queally once said that if you can ride a finish in a pony meeting you can ride a finish in the Derby! We have a good strong, working committee of twelve people and Tom Quirke is our Chairman. We’re expecting a big crowd and we’ve moved to the Saturday this year to avoid Kerry’s game on the Sunday,” Liam concluded.