TIM Kelleher wears many hats in harness racing. The 51-year-old is a commentator and pundit, he holds a bookmakers’ licence and takes a lot to do with the placing of the Macroom family’s stable of trotters and pacers.

Tim’s brother Mikey was runner-up in the point-to-point riders’ championship some years ago and another brother Gerry is chairman of the point-to-point ‘handlers’ association.

The late ‘Cooper’ Kelleher would be proud that the sons and nephew Luke (20) are involved in racing and trotting. Luke’s sister Lucy recently qualified as a vet.

Tim is one of several Cork/Kerry representatives in the Red John Memorial Committee, which has been handed over to a national (IHRA) level as will be explained herein.

Tim is the ‘go-to’ man for a multitude of asks, stabling, accommodation, posters, programmes, lay out of the track etc. He contributes to The Irish Field and The Southern Star on the Cork harness scene. Tim is no stranger to the local hostelries and enjoys the after-racing scene when his busy schedule permits.

No better man to talk us through the trials and tribulations of running a meeting.

Dan Carlin: Tim, you’re the voice of the Red John Memorial, it’s very much your baby?

Tim Kelleher: It’s not my baby, it’s our baby. I’m only the ringmaster. Every circus needs guys painting the scenery and moving the props. We have a very strong committee.

The event became too big for a handful of us locally, so we have enlisted the help of the IHRA. They have great ladies in the office in Dundalk, contacts, resources and so on.

DC: What sort of work goes on behind the scenes?

TK: The landowner Ger Heggarty started working on the track the week after last year’s meeting. Himself and his brother Ted are so helpful to the harness racing. If we asked for a blade of grass to be cut, the response would be ‘which blade’?. Ger’s sister Greta (Cormican) does a lot for us too. I am proud to say that the local West Cork horse owners do not charge visitors for stabling.

DC: It takes money to put on the show?

TK: We are blessed with the special relationship that Donal Murphy and Finbar Quill have forged with Bill Donovan of the USA. Bill won’t make it this year but he has been our main backer.

We had built up a good attendance and then the Covid crisis scuppered that. I believe you intend to interview Bill on the IHRA YouTube channel. The Maven Trot is named after a top-class mare that Bill owned in the US.

DC: Tell us about the impact of Covid.

TK: Well, last year we had a sweat would we get racing at all. The meeting went ahead with all sorts of stipulations. This time the local Gardaí have seen our risk assessment and the overall protocol will be a bit more relaxed, yet within the regulations.

We are lucky there is a natural bank looking onto the home stretch, so elderly people, for example can watch the action without leaving their cars.

DC: You got a deserved break with the news that the Laidlers from Durham are bringing five runners?

TK: Previously we had the sporting postman Alan Jones from Llanarch in Wales who brought runners in 2019. The Laidlers always bring a bit of colour to a meeting. S4C television called Alexis and Rocker, the ‘Posh and Becks’ of harness racing. The Merrington Stables runners are always super fit. We know for sure they are bringing Yerkes Hanover, who is owned by a Limerick man and Oakwood Coral who is owned by Paul Johnston of PJI Engineering who has sponsored in Ireland previously. I hope they bring Merrington Moving Up, that would stir up the top grade pace.

DC: Tell me some of your proudest RJM memories.

TK: Well, it’s lovely that so many of our winning drivers were close friends of Red John and mentioned him post-race. Last year was special because the Red John Pace was won by Donal Murphy driving Benny Camden while the Maven Trot was won by my cousin Patrick Hill from Leap.

As on the gaelic football field, it’s always nice when Cork beat Dublin. I was swelling with pride when the Ballingeary Pipe Band marched and played in 2019. Regrettably we can’t have them this year, but they’ll be back.

’Red’ John

‘Red’ John O’Donovan from Leap was an owner, driver and trainer of harness horses. He passed away, aged 28, in 2015 following a freak accident on his farm. The Red John Memorial meeting was instigated in his memory and has snowballed into a €100,000 two-day meeting to rival any in these islands. John’s father Andy is on the committee.

All are welcome to attend as the anticipated atttendance will below current permitted numbers. The track is at the townland of Lyre between Enniskeane and Clonakilty. Racing takes place on Saturday 21st and Sunday, August 22nd start time approx 1.30pm.

More details can be seen at www.irishharnessracing.com. A smaller fixture will be held at Portmarnock Raceway tomorrow, August 15th.