The Cork Park Races
The
"Cork Park" once occupied the land that today is the site of Páirc
Uí Chaoimh, the Showgrounds, the Ford Motor Company car park and
the many oil companies and other business which are bordered by the Monahan
Road and Centre Road. In total it covered over 70 acres of land. Wow! Wasn't
that some sight? Just imagine how it all began.
Before the construction of the Navigation Wall (The Marina), the 'Park' was a slob or marsh land overrun regularly by the tides and floods. The early races in the Park were often held in seas of mud and slush and many the horse and spectator took a tumble in the slimy drains that bounded the track. Almost 30,000 thronged the Park for first races in 1869.
The following is a copy of the race card for the first race meeting on May 17th, 1869:
1.
The Lee Stakes - flat race of 2 miles for 50 Sovs.
2. The Citizen's Stakes - a handicap steeplechase.
3. The Grand National Steeplechase for 200 Sovs.
4. The Cork Military Steeplechase.
5. The Local Hunt Cup.
6. The Steward's Plate.
The
races were often affected by bad weather. The following is an account taken
from The Cork Examiner of the races held in 1871:-
"As Tuesday night advanced, the wind got up and in conjunction with the
rain soon swept the streets clear of all pedestrians. The conditions of those
who had settled down in the Park became extremely dismal. It taxed the ingenuity
of the most experienced Bohemians amongst the various itinerant tribes which
go to make up the scene on a race course to keep their fragile wigwams in tenable
order and the struggle between the camp fires and the clouds was far from cheerful.
The wind grew to half a gale during the night and, when morning broke, the Park
was strewn with many a wreck. Besides other damage a dozen or so of the refreshment
tents, upon which the labour of the previous day had been extended, were now
confused heaps of poles and canvas, half lying and half floating on the flooded
ground".
The last race meeting at the track was held on June 21st 1916. The land was sold to the Henry Ford motor car company in November 1916 and, that was the end of The Cork Park Races.