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Within the collection at Newry and Mourne Museum are artefacts related to the history of cycling in the area.
Bicycles were an important mode of transport from the late nineteenth century. Whilst a vast network of railway lines opened up towns and villages in Ireland, onward journeys were often completed on two wheels. In the collection is a Great Northern Railway return ticket for a passenger and bicycle, which allowed the holder and their bicycle to travel anywhere within fifty miles of Newry Edward Street Station. Perhaps one of Newry’s most famous cyclists, Patrick Rankin cycled from Newry to Dublin to participate in the Easter Rising in 1916.
Bicycles also became part of the boom in sporting activities in the latter part of the 1800s. One of earliest cycling events recorded in the area was a bicycle race from Banbridge to Newry, held in September 1877. The article in the Newry Telegraph reports that ten gentlemen took part, three of them only arrived “during the forenoon” and that one of the cyclists “had rather an ugly tumble” when passing the Corry Monument. His hands had been severely cut but he “ascended his velocipede and once more went on his way, but, it is presumed, not rejoicing”.
The oldest cycling related artefact in the Museum is a Newry Cycling Club members badge from 1884. The cycling club met bi-weekly and held different cycling runs. The route for the first meeting in May 1884 started at Trevor Hill, then took in Hill Street, Bridge Street, Dublin Road, proceeding to cycle all the way to Ravensdale and back. Another meeting in 1884 consisted of eight cyclists from the club cycling to the Four Mile House at Donaghmore.
Cycling races were also held by Newry Rowing Club. One such race in July 1889 was considered to be disappointing as there was only about 60 or 70 spectators and that several sportsmen of note did not attend. Interestingly, this was because several of the local cyclists were on a cycling tour of London.
An early image of cycling in the collection is from a page in the Newry Reporter reporting on a “Go as you please” event from 10 August 1907. The image, taken by W. Abernethy, shows cyclists performing as stewards at a running race along Hill Street, Newry.
In more recent decades, one of the most memorable cycling events in the area was the maracycle. A fundraising event on behalf of Co-Operation North, the charity event comprised of around 2,000 cyclists travelling from Belfast to Dublin or Dublin to Belfast, returning the following day, with Newry being one of the stops along the route. In the spirit of co-operation, the event was not a race. Many cyclists from cycling clubs in the area took part. The artefacts in the Museum’s collection range from the late 1980s to early 1990s. They include sponsorship cards, a medal, certificates and event programmes. The programmes list the names of all the competitors showcasing all the cyclists from Newry and Mourne taking part. The 1988 programmes profiles amputee David Burke and Francie Craven who trained by “ploughing the roads of Newry” three times a week to complete the 1987 maracycle on a tandem bicycle.
In 2014 Northern Ireland hosted a leg of the prestigious Giro d’Italia race over three days. On day three the cyclists passed through towns and villages in south Armagh. Locals lined the route to cheer and wave flags as the Giro passed through. Initially five riders led the race, followed by the large peloton, with helicopters hovering overhead recording the event.
