The first ever event was held on the ‘short’ circuit in July 1947 and catered for three races each for cars and motorcycles. The start and finish line was on the road from the present Rugby Club, down to Donnelly’s Hollow while a sharp left brought the competitors back to Lumville Cross, where they turned left again for the Curragh, while at the Rugby Club a further sharp left brought them back to the start and finish line, a lap distance of 1.7 miles. My older brother brought me along and he was given strict instructions to keep me well back from ‘this dangerous sport’. We took up a good vantage point, to await the start. We looked down the list of entries and discovered that we had a local man to cheer on in the motorcycle race. Paddy Brennan, better known as Battler, was down to ride a 350 BSA. Among the list of Officials were some other familiar names. Jack Lewis, proprietor of the Wesleyan Home was a Steward of the meeting. Col. Sean Collins-Powell was listed as a Judge and Corndt. Michael Mclnerney was Chief Medical Officer.
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Charlie Norton in the Jirano, a Jaguar engined Car

             The cars and motorcycles each had two heats and a final. The cars had the honour of getting the event under way and when they roared past us on the first lap I was jumping with excitement. The sound of the high powered engines, the smell of the high octane racing fuel, the exciting spectacle of the cars racing side by side on the narrow roads captivated me and I became an instant motor racing fan. The motorcycles were also very exciting to watch and we cheered on our local Battler, as he roared past. For the final race of the day, 10 cars took their places on the grid and at the drop of the flag they roared off towards Donnelly’s Hollow with a smell of burning rubber. They were around again in about a minute and a half, all still tightly bunched together, the excitement building up as the faster cars tried to overtake. I watched in honor as German driver Dorndorf in a BMW touched wheels with the Aston-Martin of Geoff McCrea as he attempted to pass on the hill down to Donnelly’s Hollow. The BMW hit the bank and somersaulted into the air and landed upside down on the track. It continued to slide for quite a distance before coming to rest. I thought the driver must surely be dead, but miraculously his injuries were not too serious. The Army Medical Services were quickly on the scene and poor Dorndorf was driven to hospital at a much reduced speed in an old Bedford Army ambulance.  
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Gillie Tyer in the Supermotor BMW (1953)

    Racing was back again on the ‘short’ circuit in 1948. The quality of the entries had improved in the space of a year as more competitors turned out. A new name appeared on the programme at the August meeting, that of Joe Kelly. His car was called an IRA special. I hasten to add that the initials stood for Irish Racing Automobile. It was built at his Red Cow garage in Clondalkin. Over the next few years Joe continued to build further IRA specials. He was one of the most successful Irish drivers, always very exciting to watch. 1949 was a big year for motor racing on the Curragh, not only were there three meetings on the ‘short’ circuit, but the first of the Wakefield Trophy Meetings was held in September on the ‘big’ circuit. The April meeting was marred by a fatal accident which claimed the life of Dublin driver George Cox. I arrived at the circuit just before practice and took up my position at Lumville Corner.
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             The standard of facilities around the circuit was equal to that of any track in England at that time, with the added bonus for spectators that admission to the trackside was free. Only those who wished to view from the comfort of the grandstands or one of the seated enclosures had to pay. All this was made possible by the tremendous effort of the Army Authorities whose organisational skills were available for the asking. Miles of rope barriers were put in place on both sides of the road to keep spectators at a safe distance. A public address system was in operation at all the good vantage points. Field telephones were installed at the corners furthest from the start and finish area to alert emergency servlce5. Army personnel were on duty to marshal the crowds. Dozens of Army motorcycle riders also patrolled the Plains to ensure that the flocks of sheep were kept well back.
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Jack Walton, Cooper Bristol

  As the drivers took up their positions for the feature race in 1949, in cars with exotic sounding names like Maserati, ERA, Ferrari, Sunbeam and Alfa Romeo, a steady drizzle was falling. At the drop of the flag ten powerful cars hurtled like projectiles towards the dreaded Kildare Hairpin. The first car to reach it was Peter Walker’s ERA. His wheels locked on the slippery surface. He was followed closely by the Maserati of Roy Salvadori who had to brake hard to avoid the ERA. The third car to arrive was the Alta of Gordon Watson who slammed into the back of the Maserati. Both cars burst into flames, but with little regard for his own safety, Salvadori stood up in the blazing car and steered it past the crowded enclosure and stands. Then with his overalls ablaze he leaped from the flaming car. He rolled himself on the grass and extinguished the flames. His Maserati careered down the escape road eventually coming to rest near Colgan’s Cut where it burned itself out. To this day I still have a small souvenir piece of molten metal from that car! The race was won by Anthony Powys-Lybbe in an Alfa Romeo. This was the first of many successes for him at the Curragh.  
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Anthony Powys-Lybbe, 2.9 Monoposto Alfa Romeo (1953)

         Race meetings continued to be held on a regular basis at the ‘short’ circuit during 1950. The quality of the entries improved tremendously. Joe Flynn, driving a little MG, however always managed to beat the handicapper and became a regular winner. He also had the distinction of winning the first race on this circuit as well as the first O’Boyle Trophy on the ‘big’ circuit. Another interesting entry was that of Redmond Gallagher, MD of Urney Chocolates, who competed regularly in a little Motorcycle engined car called a Leprechaun, in which he put up fastest time of the day at the June meeting. Wakefield Trophy time came around again in September and another successful meeting was held. Our old friend Joe Kelly was all set to win after working his way up through the field, but was passed by Duncan Hamilton on the very last corner and was beaten by less than a car’s length.

         1951 will be remembered as the year that Stirling Moss won the Wakefield Trophy. He was only 22 years of age but even then he was in a class apart and well on his way to fame. He also set a new lap record that day. Over the next three years the regular ‘short’ circuit meetings were held and the entries became so big that the car and motor-cycle events each had their separate race days. Faster cars such as the XK12O Jaguars competed regularly. Excellent entries turned out annually for the ‘big’ circuit, which continued to attract huge crowds. Speeds of over 145 mph were recorded on the main straight by the Jaguars of Kelly, Hamilton and Whitehead.
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Motorcycle racing at the Curragh"Short" circuit (1959)
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         Three weeks later racing was back again on the ‘short’ circuit with a meeting for cars and motorcycles. This was probably the best ever meeting on this course. No less than five Jaguars were entered as well as a Frazer-Nash driven by Dickie Odlum, from Portlaoise, who had the distinction of winning the handicap race, thus earning a place in history for himself as the driver who won the last ever race on this course. Man of the meeting was undoubtedly Joe Kelly driving a three-litre Ferrari. Lap after lap he thrilled the huge crowd as he smashed his own record which had remained unbroken since 1949. At one part of the course, near Donnelly’s Hollow, his Ferrari became airborne for several yards after hitting a bump on the road. On this exciting note the final curtain came down, to bring to an end the thrilling spectacle of car racing at the Curragh. Speeds had increased dramatically over the previous couple of years, so the organisers, fearing for the safety of both drivers and spectators, decided to call it a day. However, motor cycle facing continued annually there until 1960, with one final meeting in October 1967, an event which had to be abandoned after the third race due to bad weather conditions. The end a chapter in Irish motor racing history was finally closed.