How did you get involved in point-to-pointing?

I was a videographer by profession and someone approached me and asked me would I video a point-to-point. I used to video at Down Royal and Downpatrick about 30-35 years ago before O’Dohertys came in.

What is your first racing memory?

I did my first point-to-point at Tyrella at the end of January in either 1987 or 1988. I was standing on top of a small box to give me a bit of height to see over all the hedges. Since then, I’ve travelled far and wide going to point-to-points in all parts of the country from Ballyragget to Portrush. I know places in Ireland that people beside it wouldn’t know about – all from doing this job.

I remember when I started videoing a point-to-point in Sligo and Richard Pugh was so young that he could hardly see over the top of the box in the stand when he was announcing the runners and riders. I don’t know what age he was at the time, but then he became a jockey and then a commentator and I’ve been around that long.

What does your typical day in your role consist of at a point-to-point?

I bring DVDs, a generator, three of four DVD recorders, a couple of cameras and microphones to every meeting. So we record the races and then start copying them to DVDs for people to buy.

What is the biggest change you have noticed point-to-pointing?

I suppose from the videoing point of view, we would have started out with the full size VHS and then they went so now we are on DVDs.

There has been a huge drop in the numbers that we would sell. At the height of the boom, every bricklayer, joiner, plasterer went out and bought himself a horse. Now they can’t afford to keep them. That meant that at the height of it, you had six races at a point-to-point, but there could be 10, 12 or 14 actually being run. I was regularly doing up to 14 or 15 races on a day there was that many divides.

What is the funniest thing you have witnessed at a point-to-point?

I’ve seen plenty of things over the years, from horses running out to bad weather. I’ve been towed into fields, towed out of fields, almost blown over by the wind – it’s been unbelievable. I think it was Oldcastle we were in one day and the snow came down so strong you could hardly see the white van that we were in.

What might readers be surprised to know about you?

I was a professional boxer before I started videoing. I was professional from 1975 to 1984. At amateur and professional level I had 190 fights. I won an Irish national title and represented Ireland – that’s my claim to fame. I was national champion in 1974 before turning professional. I boxed over in Lagos in Nigeria in 1977. I only got 10-days’ notice about the fight and you want to see the amount of vaccines I had to get back then. I had small pox, yellow fever and cholera injections.

What do you do outside of racing?

I’m still a videographer by profession so I would do weddings, gaelic and soccer matches – all things like that.