WEST CORK, IRELAND – The start of the 2016 Winter Road racing season in West Cork is less than a week away with Drimoleague  the venue for the opening fixture on St Stephens Day (Boxing Day for our UK Friends ) Saturday 26th December .

Road racing where pacers and trotters are ridden is unique to the West Cork region with records dating back over 150 years.

For many winning in Drimoleague on "Stephens Day " is akin to winning the top prize in any sport .

Drimoleague folk pride themselves on running the fixture on the Eastern side of this trotting mad village and only twice in the last 150 years has the event being cancelled, firstly in the late 1960s when the dreaded Foot And Mouth disease was present in Ireland, and a few years ago the event was cancelled due to the fact that almost a foot of frozen snow deemed the road closed to both motor traffic and traffic of the equine type .

This year the committee which includes Jim McCarthy, Harry Deane and Dermot McCarthy (who boast over 100 years service between them) have been joined by some younger members in James O Driscoll,  Caroline Collins, Martin O Brien, Gerard McCarthy, Jennie Brickley, Ned Forbes, Ger O Driscoll, Finbarr O Shea and Christy Caverly.

Racing has a 2:00 PM start time .

Here is the full calendar for the 2016 season

DRIMOLEAGUE 26TH DECEMBER 2015 (ST STEPHENS DAY)

DURRUS 1ST JANURARY 2016 (NEW YEARS DAY)

BALLINGURTEEN 17TH JANUARY

SKIBBEREEN MEMORIAL DAY 31ST JANUARY

DUNMANWAY 14TH FEBRUARY

BANDON 28TH FEBRUARY

BALTIMORE 13TH MARCH (PALM SUNDAY)

BALLYDEHOB 27TH MARCH (EASTER SUNDAY)

Details of entries, results, etc. are available on the website at

www.harnessracingcork.com or you can email us harnessracingcork@gmail.com

by Tim Kelleher, for Harnesslink.com