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Abbeyleix Heritage House

Abbeyleix Heritage House

Abbeyleix Heritage House is Laois' biggest history museum, community centre and business hub.

Abbeyleix Heritage House

3 days ago

Abbeyleix Heritage House
REMINDEROur Parent and Baby/Toddler Group is running TODAY Thursday from 10-12, and is still up and running each week! ✨ ... See MoreSee Less

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Abbeyleix Heritage House

5 days ago

Abbeyleix Heritage House
Grand Prix Tickets, July 1930Today’s post is of tickets to the Irish International Grand Prix, held in Phoenix Park from 18th19th July 1930! The Grand Prix was only held three times, first in 1929, then 1930, and lastly in 1931. The racetrack was a 4.25 mile long loop, and the event attracted many of the top drivers in Europe at the time. The majority of drivers were either British, German or Italian, driving for Bentley, Astin Martin, Mercedes, and Alfa Romeo. The Grand Prix was organised by the Irish Automobile Club, and the event also received support from the Irish Free State government. There were two cups up for grabs at the Irish Grand Prix, the Saorstát Cup and the Éireann Cup. The Saorstát Cup was competed for on the Friday of the event, while the Éireann Cup was held on the Saturday. The Saorstát Cup was for automobiles under 1500 cc while the Éireann Cup was a race for automobiles above. The entries closed for the 1930 event in February 1930. The drivers and cars began to arrive from the 12th July onwards to prepare for the race, and garnered a lot of attention from the public. The event saw many visitors to Dublin, but was not without its own controversy. Sir Herbert Austin complained over the confusion surrounding the finishing time of the race, as he felt that the driver of his car Captain Waite was wrongly signalled to finish when in fact there was another lap to go. Had Waite realised that he had another lap, two of Austin’s entries would have placed 1st-3rd. The overall winner of the 1930 event was Rudolf Caracciola, a German driver who won numerous races such as the European Drivers' Championships. Phoenix Park had been used for motorsports before the Grand Prix, with events being held in the early 1900s for Gordon Bennett speed trials amongst others. However, it wasn’t until the Grand Prix that actual racing took place. The Irish Grand Prix discontinued after the 1931 event, with many factors coming into play such as weather conditions and lack of funding/support. #Laois #abbeyleixheritagehouse #museum #irishhistory #grandprix #vintageracing #vintageracingcar #vintageracingculture #abbeyleix #Abbeyleix ... See MoreSee Less

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Abbeyleix Heritage House

1 week ago

Abbeyleix Heritage House
Today’s found in the archives post is of a postcard dated 1922, with a photograph from 1910 on the front. The postcard is addressed to Tom Morrissey, of Parker Place, Brooklyn, New York, from his mother, who wrote from Pass House Ballyroan. The postcard reads: Dear Tom,I hope this card will find you well. I am sure you will favour one of Pensioners. Love from Mamie.Tom was the son of Mary Mulhall Morrissey and Edward Joseph Morrisey, proprietors of Morrissey’s pub and hotel Abbeyleix. The four men pictured were at Blandsfort Abbeyleix in 1910 and were the winners of old age pensioners races there. The Blandsfort Cycling and Athletic Sports event was held at Blandsfort demesne on 15th August 1910, and saw a variety of events, such as hurdles, sack races, bicycle races, tug of war, donkey races, dancing and singing competitions, and a whistling contest! #abbeyleixheritagehouse #irishhistory #Irish #Laois #laoishistory #museum #Abbeyleix #laoistourism #localhistory #archive #archives #foundinthearchives #abbeyleix ... See MoreSee Less

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