Speedway in Dublin - 1950s style

In the summer of 1950, Speedway Racing came to Dublin. The showman and promoter Ronnie Green brought members of his Wimbledon Dons team to Shelbourne Park each Sunday where they raced as the The Shelbourne Tigers against other English teams. In 1951, a group of the non-Wimbledon riders set up a midweek rival attraction on a new track at Chapelizod where they raced as the Dublin Eagles. The popularity of the sport was short lived and Speedway racing in Ireland was finished by the middle of the decade.

Fionnbar Callanan, a noted photojournalist since 1950, was there to witness and record the racing and these are just a few of the speedway images that can be found on the Fionnbar Homepage. Click on the Arcives link at the bottom of the homepage and then look for speedway. This is an extensive and still growing collection of photographs from over half a century of people, places and events from around Ireland and the world.

Shelbourne Park 1950

Freddie Williams, Split Waterman and Howdy Byford fettle a bike at Chapelizod in 1951

Freddie Williams (1950 World Champion) at Shelbourne Park