Traveller road race

[Arthur_Friend]

Courtesy of a thread over on p.ie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rc5JsMn0LRQ

[Tony Baloney]

That is nuts! But hey it is their culture (to break the law).

[fitzroyalty]

Mind one time when I was a learner driver round Craigavon two of the f**kers were racing each other full pelt towards me with two transit vans speeding after them and some fat lad hanging out one of them with a video camera.
Apparently they bet £1000s on these races.

[orangeman]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0509/one-arrested-over-cork-mallow-harness-race.html

Contact the gardai ? What for ?

One man has been arrested and investigations against a number of others are continuing after the Cork to Mallow road was used for a harness race on Saturday.

Article Video (2) 1 of 1
A video of part of the race has been uploaded to YouTube (Pic: YouTube)Play Stop  Six One News: Mallow-Cork road used for harness race
Play Stop  Nine News: Cork-Mallow road used for harness race
A video of part of the race, on the main Cork to Mallow road, has been uploaded to YouTube and to a number of other social media websites.

The road is one of the busiest commuter corridors in the country, handling an average of more than 15,000 vehicles per day.

At around 7am last Saturday morning, part of the road was turned into a race track involving two horses pulling distinctive two-wheeled sulky carts and riders.

The dangers were obvious. At one stage, four vehicles lined up across the road. At another, one of a number of following vehicles narrowly missed an on-coming articulated lorry and trailer.

Several cars travelling in the opposite direction to the race had to drive onto the hard shoulder, as other drivers overtook the riders.

Gardaí were contacted and the race was stopped. They say a full investigation is now under way.

Gardaí are appealing to motorists who were on the Cork/Mallow between 7am and 8am last Saturday to contact them.

They say they have identified a number of the people involved and say they are satisfied they are members of the Traveller community.

[armaghniac]

I have to say that if I was the truck driver in the video I'd be tempted to plough on, on my own side of the road, of course.

[Leo]

There were two Garda cars in the video - totally ineffective and powerless - and we pay these wasters?
Have they no phones to call ahead and block roads? How long until people are killed by these "traveller" maniacs?
Culture???

[The Subbie]

Wheres Padraig Nally when he's needed?

[Tubberman]

A spokesperson for Traveller resource centre Pavee Point called on Traveller groups, gardaí and local authorities to find a resolution together to "respect both Traveller culture and the law of the land".


Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/more-arrests-planned-after-harness-race-on-cork-mallow-road-550894.html#ixzz1uS40AORf

FFS, why would the gardaí and local authorities have to compromise anything to accomodate these races which endanger so many lives.
It has nothing to do with culture. Horse breeding and horse racing are part of general Irish culture (settled and traveller) and you don't see the Galway Races taking place down the Headford road!

[brokencrossbar1]

People are missing a trick here, this is something that should be fostered and sold as a sport to the yanks, they'd love it!!!  It was mental to be doing it on that road but if done on quieter roads with proper marshalling then it can be great craic. 

[orangeman]

There has been a call for a solution to horse harness racing on Irish roads which would "respect both Traveller culture and the law of the land."

The request by Traveller resource centre Pavee Point comes after a video emerged of what is known as a "sulky race", which took place on a Co Cork road last weekend.

The main Cork to Mallow road became a race track between two horses pulling carts with riders last Saturday.

The race was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and showed cars travelling in the opposite direction being forced to drive on the hard shoulder.

A spokesperson for Pavee Point says this kind of racing is part of the Traveller tradition, but is unregulated.

He called on Traveller groups, gardaí and local authorities to come together to find a resolution.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ben Archibald of Pavee Point described the race as indefensible.

"What we saw on Saturday, what we saw in that video was just a serious risk to life, and there's nothing cultural about that, you can't defend that on cultural grounds, and no Traveller is trying to."

He said Pavee Point had made contact with the Horse Forum in Cork after Saturday's incident out of concern for animal safety.

Mr Archibald urged Travellers who wanted to take part in harness races to work with their local Traveller organistion, gardai and local authority to find a safe and responsible way of doing so.

[brokencrossbar1]

I actually think they should do it but the problem you have is that the "winnings" might not be as lucrative if it is regulated!  The thing is that we have road races, bike races, and in a cross community sense we have the marches which cause more inconvenience that a few gig races.  Advertise them, do it right, close the road for a few hours and make an event of it.

[Smokin Joe]

I actually think they should do it but the problem you have is that the "winnings" might not be as lucrative if it is regulated! 

It doesn't stop the road bowls.

That is well run and regulated yet there is still a fortune of money changing hands on the big scores.

[thejuice]

How about holding the races in a field or build a racetrack for themselves on some halting site that they never use. But those notions never enter their head.

Sure what's the point if you're not breaking the law or pissing people off. Like the Orange Order. "Its our traditions and culture to be a f**king nuisance".

[armaghniac]

There were two Garda cars in the video - totally ineffective and powerless - and we pay these wasters?
Have they no phones to call ahead and block roads?

Call ahead to whom?. Exactly how many Garda cars do you think there are within 15 minutes drive of this event at that time?

[AZOffaly]

And what would you have them do? Ram the carts? Kill the horses and the drivers? Apparently they arrested one of them, the lad that they skillfully edged into the hard shoulder.

Unless you get them to carry tranquiliser darts and take out the horses, I'm not sure what you want them to do, other than arrest the bucks when they get them to stop.