Shelbourne Tigers

These photos are beautiful. Stuka tuned us into them. Thanks.

'In the summer of 1950, Speedway Racing came to Dublin. The showman and promoter Ronnie Green brought members of his Wimbledon Dons team to Shelbourne Park each Sunday where they raced as the The Shelbourne
Tigers against other English teams.
In 1951, a group of the non-Wimbledon riders set up a midweek rival attraction on a new track at Chapelizod where they raced as the Dublin Eagles. The popularity of the sport was short lived and Speedway racing in Ireland was finished by the middle of the decade.'
Photos and caption by Fionnbar Callahan a photographer in Ireland, who has been in the business since 1950.

The bottom fella is Tommy Price (Wembley Lion & 1949 World Speedway Champion) Chapelizod, 1951. What an amazing looking bloke. A couple of these shots remind me of the style of Nick Clements, the in-demand fashion photographer and bike fiend (who has kindly supplied some shots for the next Sideburn). You really should check his portfolio, even if fashion isn't your thing.

Stuka also points out that speedway might be making a comeback to Ireland. We dug up this story from UK tabloid, The Daily Star.
'Businessman Stuart Cosgrave is bidding to re-launch weekly speedway in Ireland – after a 38-year gap!
And his ambitious plans to re-establish the sport across the Irish Sea include staging a Grand Prix on a temporary circuit at the Royal Dublin Showground.'