Imagine, a morning swim in the Atlantic, an afternoon flutter with the bookmakers and an evening of Irish traditional music – there were very few places in Ireland offering these qualities in one day in the 19th century.
Location of former Racecourse at Spanish Point. Data from the basemap gallery accessed on the Heritage Maps Viewer at www.heritagemaps.ie 26-6-2023
Come to Spanish Point Golf Course and stand on Tee box No. 3. Look from north to south and immerse yourself in the atmosphere. It’s here that the ‘New’ Milltown Race course was situated in the late 1800s.
Spanish Point Golf Course – former location of the Race Course
The main attraction was the ‘Miltown Malbay Races’ set amongst the glitz and glamour of the Atlantic Hotel built in 1810, the construction of The Great Western Railway in 1887 and ending with the final meeting in 1941.
First recorded in 1787 on the estate of Thomas Morony, the races were an annual festival.
MILLTOWN MALBAY RACECOURSE
Imagine the excitement when an annual steeplechase was established among the sand dunes at Spanish Point Milltown (Malbay) in the late 1700s. .
Steeplechasing is the racing of hunters over natural open ground from one ‘Point’ to another hence the name ‘Point-to-Point’.
The stewards were Thomas Morony, Milton House, who practically owned the whole area, and attorney Laurence Comyn, well-known in hunting circles, while clerk of the Course was Silvester O Gorman. The races were generally funded by subscription, with the individual races from Monday to Thursday valued at 10 guineas, and heats ranging from two to four miles, while the weights varied from 8st-7lbs., for 4yo’s to 10st for aged horses.
On Friday, the Local Chace (Hunt) were catered for when
‘a sporting deer will be enlarged on the course precisely at 10 o clock’.
Also a sweepstake for beaten horses took place. The races ended on Saturday with
‘for hunters that never won at starting for anything To be rode by gentlemen carrying 14 stone. Four-mile heats.
Racecourse scene
The fee was a half guinea, to be paid six days before running or double at the post; mares and geldings in receipt of an allowance of 3lb, and the winning owners returned a half guinea of the prize money for straw and scales. Ordinaries (meals) were available each day at the Club House of the Miltown Chace. The results have not survived but it was stated in advance that many ‘capital’ horses had been entered, and that the weather was so favourable for some time that it would prove an incentive
‘to the gentlemen of the surrounding counties to resort there. And the inhabitants of the village have been indefatigable in making the best preparations for the accommodation of strangers.’
(Sheedy p.10)
In August 1844 it was reported that ‘the course was well laid out, and in excellent order, on which were twelve leaps, some were double stone walls; the remainder large hedges, with artificial trenches at either side’ (Sheedy p.44)
In 1875 the fences were described as
’natural banks, three feet high with gripe on the landing side, and a gorse hurdle the same height, so that the chance of an accident is reduced to the minimum’ (Sheedy p.72)
A CHANGE IN LOCATION
Location of racecourse c.1840 marked in green; c.1920 marked in red. Data from the basemap gallery accessed on the Heritage Maps Viewer at www.heritagemaps.ie 26-6-2023
In 1877, the races took place on Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st August, over ‘the new course’ where the stewards were Lord Francis Conyngham M.P., Charles G. Mahon, George Dartnell, Thomas Burke and H.James Clancy, with James MacClancy as secretary. The new location was known as the Annagh Course. (Sheedy p73).
In 1880 it was reported that
‘Miltown suffers under many disadvantageous circumstances, notably it is a great distance from a railway station. All the horses coming from Ennis were obliged to walk over fifteen liberally measured Irish miles. The course is chiefly over good grass land. There are five obstacles on the circuit which measures one mile and a quarter. The stand house was well-constructed, and the country fols evinced a large amount of interest in the racing’. (Sheedy, p 76)
Most people walked the two miles to the racecourse while others availed of jarvey cars side cars, horses and traps, pony and traps and the few hackney motor cars towards the latter years of the races some people arrived in their own cars.
A NEW MODE OF TRANSPORT
On January 26th, 1885, over 20,000 people turned up in Milltown Malbay to witness Charles Stuart Parnell cutting the first sod of the West Clare Railway. A silver spade and a wheelbarrow which he used, were presented to him by William Murphy, contractor. They can be seen on display in The Clare Museum, Ennis.
The Ennis to Milltown Malbay line was opened on Saturday, 2nd July, 1887.
Until then, the horses were brought across country to the races
Weekday excursions trains were run for race meetings at Limerick, Lahinch and Milltown Malbay and further special trains were put on to convey owners, grooms and horses. The trains ran from Ennis on the day prior to the meeting returning on the day following the meeting.
Horses were brought across the Shannon by boat from Kerry and West Limerick and landed on Cappa Pier where they were collected by train and then taken to Miltown
Up Trains a.m. a.m. p.m. p.m.
Milltown Malbay Dep: 6.20 11.0 4.25 5.45
Ennis Arr 8.05 12.45 6.10 7.30
Down Trains a.m. p.m. p.m. p.m.
Ennis Dep. 8.45 1.10 2.0 6.30
Milltown Malbay Arr. 10.30 2.55 3.45 8.15 (The West Clare Railway p.62)
Stops used for Milltown Malbay Race Course
- Milltown Malbay Railway station
- Annagh 1
- Stackpool bridge/Blessed well, using mill road to the course. This stop was also used to Spanish Point.
By1893, the ‘Horse in Co Clare’ was reporting a huge attendance owing to the excursion trains run by West and South Clare railways.(Sheedy, p93)
The entrance gate to the racecourse was positioned at the nearest point to the railway line
The outside wall of the racecourse was sheeted in galvanized iron to the height of eight feet. It had one entrance. Along the inside were sheds similar in size to horse boxes where the horses were stabled between races.
A timber stand, for use by the gentry, provided an excellent view of the entire racecourse. Other spectators stood or sat on the sand dunes, situated on the coast side of the racecourse. Underneath the stand were toilets and an area occupied by the Miltown Boxing Club who had many national champions. (Jones, p154)
During the war, the outside sheeting and the grand stand were taken away by the Racing Board as the races did not take place (Jones, p155)
A drain traverses the racecourse and this was jumped twice during a circuit of each race.
The road way that traversed the race course was covered in soil and grass for the meeting, so that the horses and jockeys didn’t get injured, as sometimes a horse may mistake the road as a jump causing an accident.
A GREAT DAY OUT!
On the morning of the races, all the Miltown publicans carted their tables and drink to the field and set up their tables in long lines offering bottled and draught beers ad stout. Others supplied teas, sandwiches, sweets, aperitifs etc. During the last race there was a mad scramble to get all this ware back into town to be ready for the returning race goers. (Jones, pp.154,155)
On the day of a race meeting, each horse must be declared with the Race course secretary 30 minutes before running.
The jockey must have a current license to ride, and be weighed out with the correct weight before the race. In order to have the correct weight, a jockey will have a saddle of different weights together with a leather lead cloth to make up the correct weight.
Racing silks are the uniform that a jockey wears during a race. The colorful jackets help the race commentator and the fans identify the horse on the track.
Jockeys were Light leather boots, white breeches, racing silks and now today helmets and back protectors are compulsory. Helmets are evolving all the time but before 1950 a felt cap was worn.
In 1941, Miltown Malbay Races were scheduled for Thursday, 28th and there were enormous entries for this meeting. This is the last official Miltown Malbay race meeting run under the Rules of the Turf Club. Several meetings from 1956-1959 were run but on The Spanish Point Race Course.
BIbliography
Sheedy, K. 2001 ‘The Horse in County Clare Volume One’ Colour Books Ltd., Baldoyle Industrial Estate, Dublin 13.
Jones, Patsy & Cyril 2019 ‘Lovely Old Miltown Malbay’ Realprint, Ennis
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