An  Rás Tailteann

31st.July  - 7th. August 1955

Route

Stage 1:   Dublin To Newry,  107 Miles.

Stage 2:   Newry To Sligo, 140 Miles.

Stage 3:   Sligo To Westport, 75 Miles.

Stage 4:   Westport To Ennis, 91 Miles.

Stage 5:   Ennis To Tralee, 89 Miles.

Stage 6:   Tralee To Cork, 88 Miles.

Stage 7:   Cork To Wexford, 129 Miles.

Stage 8:   Wexford To Dublin 104 Miles.

Race Director:   Joe Christle

Stage Winners:

Dennis O' Connor Winner Of Stage 1 Dublin To Newry

Frank Ward (Individual) Winner Of Stage Four

 General Classification

Steve Abbott Dublin Outsprints Gene Mangan Kerry To Take Stage 5 Into Tralee

 

Steven Abbott, Dublin Won Stage 5 Into Tralee Is Seen Here Wearing The Race Leaders Yellow Jersey

King Of The Mountains

S. Abbott, Dublin

County Team Winners  Kerry

G. Mangan P. Fitzgerald, P. O'Callaghan

Gene Mangan On The Attack During The 1955 Rás

Mick Palmer, Connacht 3rd Overall

List Of Competitors 1955

Competitor No1. will not be riding. He Is Phil Clark of Dublin, at present serving a term of 10 years' imprisonment in Crumlin Road Prision Belfast.
"Phil" is a Vice-President of the N.C.A.I.

1.       P. Clarke         Down 2.       S. MacGreevy 3.       D. Monaghan 4.       B. Monaghan 5.       T. Halliday 6.       M. Mooney       Tyrone 7.       J. MacIvor 8.       P.Rogers 9.       T. Rogers 10.   S. Devlin 11.   M. Mallon               Meath 12.   T. Flanagan 13.   L. Collins 14.   T.Gerrard 15.   B. Reilly 16.   B. Griffith               Louth 17.   A. Davis 18.   J. O’Hare 19.   P. MacCarville 20.   J. Lennon 21.   T.Tully               Dublin 22.   S.Abbott 23.   M. Christle 24.   R. Willams 25.   M. Denny 26.   G. Keogh               Wexford 27.   V. Bridges 28.   O. Culleton 29.    P.Lacey 30.   S.O’Rourke 31.   D. Allen                Kildare 32.   B. O’Brien 33.   C. Carr 34.   J.Pegley 35.   J. Crowe 36.   K. Sloane              Cork 37.   M. Carr 38.   P.Hickey 39.   F. Healy 40.   G. Thomas 41.   J. Varian

Tipperary 42     J. Gearon 43     P.O’Meara 44     J. Curran 45     J. Carey       46   S. Healy         Limerick 47     D. Ryan 48     R. Long 49     S.Ryan 50     P O’Meara 51     J. Jensen            Kerry 52     P. Fitzgerald 53     P.O’Callaghan 54     J. Switzer 55     G. Mangan 56     J. O’Connor             Connaught 57     M. Palmer 58     R. Geraghty 59     J. Keane 60     P.Keane 61     N. Fahy             Sligo 62     C. Gurhy              Waterford 63     R. Galvin            Wicklow 64     E. Dalton              Monaghan 65     J. Skinnader             Individuals 66     C. Dunne 67     F. Ward 68     D.O’Connor 69     J. Jefforss 70     L.O’Connor 71     J. Curley 72     P. Murphy 73     S. Condron 74     A. Cassidy 75     T.Healy

Mick Christle, Dublin

Steve Abbott Takes The Yellow Jersey In Rás Tailteann

Steve Abbott (Dublin), yesterdays stage winner and top man of the Dublin Team, has ousted Denis O’Connor (Indiv., Harp C.C.) as race leader in the Rás Tailteann following a most dramatic sixth stage to-day. The dreaded mountains, between Tralee and Cork, took their expected toll – O’Connor cracked and there was a major reshuffle in the General Classification.

Abbott, by finishing fourth to team-mate Gerry Keogh, who was a revelation to-day when winning the stage after some disappointing riding earlier this week, takes over leadership.

Keogh, was with a leading bunch of eight riders from a few miles out of Tralee. This bunch held their lead for nearly 100 miles and Keogh sneaked away a mile from the finish to win by 10secs from the other seven who were all timed equal at 5hrs 39 min. 15 secs.

Second was Gene Mangan of Kerry, again beaten on the post as he was in Tralee yesterday. Brilliant individual rider, Frank Ward, was third just in front of Abbott. O’Connor finished well down the field in a bunch timed at 5hrs 51mins 30secs and has dropped to fifth place on general classification.

Abbott has a lead of 10 4-5 sec. actual time from Mangan, who jumped from fifth to second. But when they leave Cork tomorrow for the second last stage to Wexford, Abbott will really have 1min. 10 4-5 secs he gains a min when he dons the yellow race leaders jersey.

This stage although it followed a more or less set pattern for 100 miles, was easily the most interesting so far. The field had broken up even before they hit the climb just beyond Killarney with O’Connor 2 minutes down.

The leaders just beyond Killarney, a distance of 22 miles, which was reached in 44 mins 35 secs were: C. Dunne, G. Keogh, M. Palmer, S. Abbott, P. Hickey, T. Flanagan, G. Mangan, F. Ward and P. Callaghan.

They had a lead of 2 min. 30 secs, on the main bunch at Lady’s View, where Abbott took the first King of the Hills Prime from Flanagan. Just at this point Mangan broke a wheel and O’Callaghan switched bikes with him.

Coming down the hill into Kenmare a distance of 42 miles covered in 1hr 42 mins, Mangan was closing with the leaders, and on the climb to the second King of the Hills Prime after Tunnel road caught up and actually took the points when beating Abbott.

Further bad luck hindered the Kerry rider, however, a mile further on when he had to change a wheel and lost nearly a minute. He chased strongly at terrific speed all the way to Bantry, 30 miles out from Tralee, and caught them.

Here the leaders had three minutes on a second group consisting of S. McGreevey (Down), J. Curley (Dublin), A. Cassidy (Dublin), S. Ryan (Limerick) and P. O’Callaghan (Kerry).

The bunch in which O’Connor was situated was 9 min. 5 secs down at this stage and the main group a further six minutes behind.

They stayed in these positions positions and at Enniskeane, 30 miles from Cork, the eight-strong leading group had 11 minutes on O’Connor. In the same group as O’Connor at this stage were Fitzgerald and Monaghan.

Steve Abbott Took the King of the Hills points from Flanagan at Liberty Hill, six miles from Cork, but then Keogh timed his effort well to win.

Although Dublin can claim the man with the yellow jersey and also to-days stage winner, Kerry still lead them by nine minutes on the team aggregate.

Stage result (Tralee to Cork: 128 miles)

1.    G. Keogh (Dublin) 5-39-5

2.    G. Mangan (Kerry) 5-39-15

3.    F. Ward (indiv. Harp C.C.) 5-39-15

4.    S. Abbott (Dublin) 5-39-15

5.    P. Hickey (Cork) 5-39-15

6.    M. Palmer (Connaught) 5-39-15

King of the Hill Primes

Lady’s View

1.    S. Abbott

2.    T. Flanagan

3.    M. Palmer

Tunnel Road

1.    G. Mangan

2.    S. Abbott

3.    T. Flanagan

Liberty Hill

1.    S. Abbott

2.    T. Flanagan

3.    P. Hickey

Prime Placings

1.    S. Abbott 8pts.

2.    T. Flanagan 5pts.

Kerry Sloane, Kildare