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Carole Nash East Coast Racing Festival : 9th – 10th September 2017 at Killalane

October 21, 2017August 20, 2017 by TomBoyNI

East Coast Motorcycling Club : Press Release :

The East Coast Motorcycling Club is delighted to announce that they are running 2017’s Irish road race finale. The circuit previously run as Killalane road races, which was the traditional road race season closer, is now the Carole Nash East Coast Racing Festival. Following a brief sabbatical in 2016, this new Killalane circuit race will take place this year on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2017.

The new East Coast Motorcycling Club was formed in 2016 following the cancellation of the Killalane Road Races last year, with a view to ensuring this fantastic annual motorcycle racing event, held since 1984, was retained as the finale on the Irish road race calendar.

This two day road racing festival kicks off with practice races on Saturday, followed by two of the first official races, which includes two non-championship races for 125’s and a 600cc race in memory of Darren Lindsay.

On Sunday 10th a packed programme of ten races for Junior and Senior Support classes, Classics, Supertwins, 400’s / 250’s, 600’s and Open Superbike Classes.

This makes for a fantastic day’s road racing on this famous 3.6mile southern Irish road race circuit. Past winners over the 32 years of the event reads like a who’s who of Irish motorcycle racing including the legendary Joey Dunlop and his brother Robert and the late great Flying Finn, local boy Martin Finnegan. More recently it’s been Ryan Farquhar, with the Dunlop brothers William and Michael.

Update 28/10/2016 : VIDEO ADDED to #WAWIn1Week : Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 1– Kinsale to Kenmare.

October 28, 2016 by TomBoyNI

It’s better late than never, and this whole video editing lark is a lot harder and more time consuming that I initially would have anticipated, however after far too long a wait here is the footage from Day 1.

I literally had to trawl through hours of footage but the fact that it is over a year old is pretty irrelevant, the route itself is still very much there, it took 10,000s of years to for the earth to make the coast, hopefully it has millions more years left for us to enjoy, so once again apologies it took so long, and apologies for the fact I am a supreme novice when it comes to video editing, however hopefully you can enjoy the scenery, (and the soundtrack) and maybe even be inspired to pop over to Ireland to experience this epic route!

The remainder of the videos are coming and will be uploaded as soon as I can piece them together, if you want to make sure you get notifications when they are available make sure to follow this blog or me on Twitter or Facebook.

Thanks…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AuZcDwwZYA]

Castles of Ireland 2016 : Tullynally Castle, County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland :

September 1, 2016 by TomBoyNI

Introduction :

My Castles of Ireland 2016 Tour is part of a larger UK & Ireland run Challenge as can be found on Adventure Bike Rider.

I will add the add the castles to this blog along with a little bit of their history to wet your appetite as to just another thing that Ireland and Northern Ireland has to capture your imagination and set your sights on. You can take in all of the castles on this island in on one trip of 676 miles, that according to Google will take you 14 hours 50 minutes. Of course that means no stops, food, leg stretches, or photo ops.

Castles in Ireland / Northern Ireland - The Route — Castles in Ireland / Northern Ireland – The Route

Castles of Ireland 2016 : Ballinafad Castle, County Sligo, Republic of Ireland :

August 17, 2016 by TomBoyNI

Introduction :

My Castles of Ireland 2016 Tour is part of a larger UK & Ireland run Challenge as can be found on Adventure Bike Rider.

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way : The World’s Longest Dedicated Coastal Route – In 1 Week : #WAWIn1Week

July 8, 2023November 17, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way :

Here are the links to the complete ride report on my #WAWIn1Week Trip, there is plenty of other interesting stuff on the site, I hope, so feel free to have a look about, but if you have come here for the Wild Atlantic Way reports, here is everything you need. Thanks for stopping by and having a look and hopefully you enjoy the photos and reports!

#WAWIN1WEEK – WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK – THE GEAR… : https://tbni.blog/2015/08/10/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-the-gear/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 0 – TRAVEL DAY : https://tbni.blog/2015/08/18/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-0-travel-day/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 1 – KINSALE TO KENMARE : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/02/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-1-kinsale-to-kenmare/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 2 – KENMARE TO BALLYBUNION : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/13/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-2-kenmare-to-ballybunion/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 3 – BALLYBUNION TO CLIFDEN : https://tbni.blog/2015/09/20/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-3-ballybunion-to-clifden/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 4 – CLIFDEN TO SLIGO : https://tbni.blog/2015/10/11/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-4-clifden-to-sligo/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 5 – SLIGO TO LETTERKENNY : https://tbni.blog/2015/11/06/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-5-sligo-to-letterkenny/

#WAWIN1WEEK : WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 6 – LETTERKENNY TO MUFF (DONEGAL) : https://tbni.blog/2015/11/17/wawin1week-wild-atlantic-way-in-1-week-day-6-letterkenny-to-muff-donegal-2/

Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way - The Route — Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way – The Route

Please feel free to tag your images with the WAWIn1Week hashtag!

INSTAGRAM #WAWIn1Week : https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/wawin1week/

TWITTER #WAWIn1Week : https://twitter.com/search?q=WAWIn1Week&src=typd

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : DAY 6 – Letterkenny To Muff (Donegal) : #WAWIn1Week

August 6, 2023November 17, 2015 by TomBoyNI

WILD ATLANTIC WAY IN 1 WEEK : DAY 6 – Letterkenny To Muff (Donegal)

Update : The YouTube video of Day 6 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

It is now Saturday 1st August 2015, the last day of my Wild Atlantic Way Trip. From start of the trail to this point has been five full, long days, today being the sixth. My target – The Wild Atlantic Way in 1 Week. I have only one more leg to do and it will be achieved, with a full day to spare. Result, almost.

Today’s leg looks a short one, Letterkenny to Muff in Donegal. Muff as you can already expect must be one of the most photographed town signs on the whole island. It is called Muff after all! I estimated today leg about 200 miles, for once this estimate was reasonably accurate!

Yesterday’s horrendous weather is a distant memory, but there are still a few very dark and ominous clouds floating about. Fingers crossed!

WAWIn1Week – Letterkenny to Muff – Day 6

One Signature Point on the Route today : (The most Westerly point on the above map is Fanned Head which was covered on 31/07/2015).

Malin Head :

Rugged yet inviting, Donegal’s Malin Head is steeped in history and offers activities such as walking, fishing, swimming and bird watching. Here, north of Trawbreaga Bay, you can view Five Finger Strand, home to some of Europe’s largest sand dunes. At low tide, you can even spot the wreckage of the ‘Twilight’, which sank in 1889 while sailing to Derry. For more history, follow the coast road. You’ll pass the old radio station, built in 1910, and The Tower, a derelict signal station located on Banba’s Crown, the most northerly point in Ireland. It’s the perfect place to relax with a picnic, as the stunning panorama includes Inistrahull and Tory islands, as well as the Scottish hills on a clear day. Plus, you can work off any extra indulgences with a walk along the cliffs to Hell’s Hole, a chasm where the tide rushes in with impressive force. If treasure hunting is more your speed, head east to Ballyhillion beach, which dates back to the ice age and is known for its many semi-precious stones.

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 5 – Sligo to Letterkenny : #WAWIn1Week

July 8, 2023November 6, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 5 – Sligo to Letterkenny

Update : The YouTube video of Day 5 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Friday 31st July 2015 takes me onto the penultimate day of my Wild Atlantic Way adventure. I mentioned previously that by Day 4 I was really enjoying myself and after a long day yesterday, and a night in a great hotel I am thinking I need to get back here and do this whole thing a whole lot more slowly. I remember the few things that were annoying me over the first couple of days and now realise they weren’t really that annoying, just a fact of travelling on a tourist route growing in popularity.

I take a look over the map, the route taking me from Sligo to Letterkenny, and it looks like it is another long day, but then I look at the weather. Oh dear. This does not look too promising, there is a yellow warning for rain! I’m going to get wet! Also my initial and completely inaccurate distance calculations have me travelling 186 miles today. So I’m definitely more than that!

Leaving the hotel and things are dry, however the sky is very dark, grey and ominous and it doesn’t take too long for the skies to open and boy they open! I got wet on my journey down to the start of the WAW, and that only took me 4 hours, today I’m sure I have 10 -12 hours of it it looks like the only question will be how will the gear hold out?

WAWIn1Week – Sligo to Letterkenny – Day 5

Three more Signature Points to visit today (Downpatrick Head is the most Southerly Signature Point on the map, however it was visited yesterday). Today’s points are :

Mullaghmore Head.
Sliabh Liag.
Fannad Head.

(The other point on the map above between Sliabh Liag and Fannad Head is Donegal Airport – a small airport with services Dublin with two daily flights.)

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 4 – Clifden to Sligo : #WAWIn1Week

July 8, 2023October 11, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 4 – Clifden to Sligo

Update : The YouTube video of Day 4 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Thursday 30th July 2015 and we have safely arrived at Day 4 of the #WAWIn1Week Challenge, and at this stage of the game I am really enjoying myself. The niggles I had over too much traffic and what can only be described as piss poor driving are still there but only so very slightly. I am much more in tune with it, I know what to expect and to ‘get out and round’ as soon as possible and when ‘they’ are holding me up, to just relax and take in the breathtaking scenery. All is good as we commence Day 4 and I am now finding it all going a little too quickly, when you look at the map this journey is not too far away from being completed and that’s actually a little sad. So best get enjoying it!

Today the journey takes me from Clifton, Co. Galway to Sligo, Co. Sligo. My panning stages have me to be believing this section of the route to be about 250 miles but if I have learnt one big thing from planning this trip is that I have always under estimated. Normally by a good amount, Day 4 was actually closer to 300 miles, it was a long day and that was the greatest downfall of the day.

This is also the Day that instead of booking into a B&B I got a cracking deal on a hotel and stayed at the Yeats Country Hotel at Rosses Point, Sligo. This is where the long day fell foul, this hotel is lovely and I would have loved to have factored in an earlier finish so I could have relaxed and enjoyed their facilities. The bar looked great, there was a brilliant fitness centre and the restaurant as I was arriving was closing but the place smelled great!

I ended up with a curry chip from the only take-away in the town, a Chinese that was getting ready to close as well. As I say that is the only disappointment and it was self made, I didn’t get enough time to enjoy this brilliant spot!

Although from the route above it looks like there are four signature points shown on this section there are again 3, the one closest to the bottom is just before Clifden and it was done the previous day (Derrigimlagh).

Killary Harbour.
Keem Bay.
Downpatrick Head.

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 3– Ballybunion to Clifden : #WAWIn1Week

July 8, 2023September 20, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 3– Ballybunion to Clifden

Update : The YouTube video of Day 3 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Wednesday 29th July 2015 and we are at Day 3 of the #WAWIn1Week. Today’s route takes me from Ballybunion, Co. Kerry to Clifden, Co. Galway. My initial planning had worked today out to be somewhere around 205 miles, however again I underestimated a bit and it clocked up at closer to 270 miles.

WAWIn1Week - Ballybunion to Clifden - Day 3 — WAWIn1Week – Ballybunion to Clifden – Day 3

One thing that makes this leg a little different is that you have the option of getting on a boat, this is a good idea as it will keep you away from Limerick, which is big, busy and is going to take up a good bit of time to pass through, either of the ferries will keep you motoring on and keep you on track staying on the coast.

Wild Atlantic Way - Farewell Co. Kerry — Wild Atlantic Way – Farewell Co. Kerry

It was another long day in the saddle, with few breaks, other than at the signature points, of which there were three today, namely :

Loop Head.
Cliffs of Moher.
Derrigimlagh.

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 2 – Kenmare to Ballybunion : #WAWIn1Week

July 8, 2023September 13, 2015 by TomBoyNI

Wild Atlantic Way In 1 Week : Day 2 – Kenmare to Ballybunion

Update : 19/02/2019 : The YouTube video of Day 2 is now available for your viewing pleasure…Enjoy!

Tuesday 28th July 2015 and it is Day 2 of the #WAWIn1Week. Today’s route takes me from Kenmare, Co. Kerry to Ballybunion, Co. Kerry. I had worked this out at about 230 miles when planning the route, however this is a long, long leg. It’s probably closer to 280 – 300 miles and the with a pretty heavy volume of traffic, and some pretty small tight roads it leads to a long day in the saddle. Today I was on the bike for a solid 12 hours with few stops. Lunch for example was about 2.30pm at a garage on a picnic bench on the way to Dingle. Tasty fresh sandwiches though, and friendly staff so it was grand, but time was the main issue I had today.

Wild Atlantic Way Kenmare to Ballybunion

This section of the route took me to two signature points today :

Bray Head
Radharc Na Mblascaodai

East Coast Motorcycling Club : Press Release :

Disclosure :