Photographic tour of the Wicklow Circuit
Posted: 29 Feb 2016, 20:00
Hello all,
Not sure if I can gain much of an audience here but I'm sure this may be of interest to some of the people here who are into motorsport history: About a month ago I began a project to photograph the Wicklow Circuit, a 13 km road circuit used between 1950 and 1957 that passed through my hometown. It hosted the Leinster Trophy car races and Leinster 200 motorcycle races, two of the oldest and most prestigious motorsport events in Ireland, which are still held today, albeit at Mondello Park. Among the Leinster Trophy winners during the Wicklow years were F1 rejects such as David Piper and Desmond Titterington, and another, more famous name from the period: Mike Hawthorn.
The circuit was roughly triangular in shape, passing through the towns of Wicklow and Rathnew, and traversing the narrow country roads between the two. It was fast, but also dangerous, claiming three lives in the seven years it was active, one of them F1 reject Don Beauman. These deaths didn't do wonders to the popularity of the races and by 1956 the local council was losing interest in hosting them, partly due to economic reasons. And so, in 1958 the races were moved to Dunboyne in County Meath.
Now, all that remains as a reminder of the races is a memorial stone erected at the western entrance to Wicklow town. As for the circuit, much of the layout still exists, although most of the western stretch between the Beehive Inn and Rathnew is now part of the M11 motorway, hardly resembling the two-lane road that existed in its place sixty years ago, and a 400 metre section of road between Rathnew Cemetery and the railway bridge that marked the final corner now lies abandoned, bypassed by a newer road.
As for the project itself, it's finished! And you can find the photos on my blog here.
Not sure if I can gain much of an audience here but I'm sure this may be of interest to some of the people here who are into motorsport history: About a month ago I began a project to photograph the Wicklow Circuit, a 13 km road circuit used between 1950 and 1957 that passed through my hometown. It hosted the Leinster Trophy car races and Leinster 200 motorcycle races, two of the oldest and most prestigious motorsport events in Ireland, which are still held today, albeit at Mondello Park. Among the Leinster Trophy winners during the Wicklow years were F1 rejects such as David Piper and Desmond Titterington, and another, more famous name from the period: Mike Hawthorn.
The circuit was roughly triangular in shape, passing through the towns of Wicklow and Rathnew, and traversing the narrow country roads between the two. It was fast, but also dangerous, claiming three lives in the seven years it was active, one of them F1 reject Don Beauman. These deaths didn't do wonders to the popularity of the races and by 1956 the local council was losing interest in hosting them, partly due to economic reasons. And so, in 1958 the races were moved to Dunboyne in County Meath.
Now, all that remains as a reminder of the races is a memorial stone erected at the western entrance to Wicklow town. As for the circuit, much of the layout still exists, although most of the western stretch between the Beehive Inn and Rathnew is now part of the M11 motorway, hardly resembling the two-lane road that existed in its place sixty years ago, and a 400 metre section of road between Rathnew Cemetery and the railway bridge that marked the final corner now lies abandoned, bypassed by a newer road.
As for the project itself, it's finished! And you can find the photos on my blog here.
