Sunday, June 14th is Castleisland Races Day

Members of the Castleisland Races Committee with local social club and senior citizens' committees at the announcement of the allocation of funding from the June 14th meeting. Included are from left: Donal Nelligan, Betty Riordan, Tara Howarth, Bill Reidy, Martin Conway, Eileen Mitchell, Kate O'Mahony, Peggy Reidy, Kathleen McAuliffe, Kay Reidy, Lacey Kerins and Charlie Farrelly. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Members of the Castleisland Races Committee with local social club and senior citizens’ committees at the announcement of the allocation of funding from the June 14th meeting. Included are from left: Donal Nelligan, Betty Riordan, Tara Howarth, Bill Reidy, Martin Conway, Eileen Mitchell, Kate O’Mahony, Peggy Reidy, Kathleen McAuliffe, Kay Reidy, Lacey Kerins and Charlie Farrelly. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The Castleisland Races one-day meeting will be held on Sunday week, June 14th and the venue will again be Mossie Brosnan’s land at Powell’s Road. The ten race card meeting, which gets underway at 1pm, has maintained its main sponsor in the London based, Mort Reidy and Patrick O’Leary of R.O.L Building Contractors.The company came on board in 2013 as the committee’s main sponsor and has been a highly appreciated and valued backer of the event since.

Great Day Out
A full race card has been compiled and the committee is hoping the weather will be agreeable in makings it the usual great day out.
“The Castleisland Races is one of the oldest meeting of its kind in Ireland. This will be the 156th anniversary at least of such a meeting being held here in the Castleisland area,” said committee chairman, Charlie Farrelly.
And there’s proof of Mr. Farrelly’s assertion: Because, in The Tralee Chronicle and Killarney Echo there’s an article with an illustration of thew Castleisland Races 1859 – Steeple Chase 29th & 30th March 1859.
In an effort to boost attendances on the actual day of the races, the committee is to embark on a door-to-door leaflet drop over the coming couple of weeks. Anyone in possession of one of these leaflets will gain admission to the races for €5.

Races 1859
The advertisement for the Castleisland Races in the The Tralee Chronicle and Killarney Echo from February 1859. Cutting Courtesy of Charlie Farrelly

€113,600 Donated to Charities
Over the past decade and a half or so, the committee has donated €113,600 to local charities. This year they have promised a donation of €5,000 to the committee looking after the needs of the senior citizens houses at Tonbwee. This donation is being earmarked for an upgrade to the doors and windows of the six houses in the cosy little complex which was first inhabited in 1983. They also make a donation of €500 to a local voluntary group each year. This year it’s the turn of the Castleisland Social Club. The club is attached to Castleisland Day Care Centre and it provides various entertainment afternoons throughout the year and an annual Christmas party at the centre.
“The business people in the area have been incredibly generous to our appeals for support again this year. What we want now more that anything else is for the people of the locality to get out and bring their friends and support the races in Powell’s Road on the day.
In other words, we’re asking them simply to ‘Go Racing in Castleisland’ bring their friends and have a great day out.
If we get that kind of support, the charities we subscribe to will benefit in turn,” said Charlie.