A little flutter on the Horses This Patrick’s Day but not at the Carricklee Races
Knowing nothing about horses or horse racing the term point-to -point meant nothing to him, my husband Fran hill says. But he has vivid memories of walking from Townsend Street with his aunts Teresa and Mary Ellen, both deceased now, to the St Patrick Day Carricklee Races. Back in the day when travel was something somebody else did. It was the highlight of the year.
The townsfolk of Strabane, Sion Mills and surrounding districts flocked in their hundreds to enjoy the carnival atmosphere and partake of a nice cup of tea or a wee drink in the Marquee.
Mind, then, the beer wasn’t emerald and the River Mourne wasn’t shamrock green.
If the punters were a wee bit flush – money not being that plentiful –men and women would have a bit of a flutter on a horse they fancied.
St Patrick’s Days racing at Carricklee began to diminish when the Troubles started in Northern Ireland. By 1981 the last horse had run the last point-to-point race.
But in its hay day, stables from all over Ireland sent horses by train to Strabane Station, to thunder over the Carricklee course.
Interestingly, there were no ‘men or women’ only races.
The most famous horse to run there was a horse called ‘Master Robert’ who went on to win the Grand National at Aintree in 1924.
And Richard Dunwoody’s father rode at Carricklee. Not to mention Mrs Ann Ferris who also went on to win the Irish Grand National.
Of course, in true Irish fashion rules and regulations were only introduced when the Racing Board of Ireland got involved at the end of the 19th century. There after jockeys were weighted before and after races.
And so, like the Herdman family themselves – who settled in Sion Mills and started up flax spinning Mill and introduced the annual Carricklee races, events and progress have caught up with the family and the races.
Sad in a way – happy memories…
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Gemma Hill Writeyou Writeme 