When do prepartions for the point-to-point begin?

The annual Tinahely Show is held on the August bank holiday weekend on the same land as the Shillelagh and District point-to-points are run. Once the show is over we check the ground to ensure there has been no damage from the show traffic and the preparations commence from there.

Does the ground get very damaged by the racing?

We hold two point-to-points each season. Tomorrow’s point-to-point are usually fortunate with the ground, although of course that is weather dependant! Our second point-to-point is run in January so the ground tends to be a little bit wetter that time of year.

What are the costs involved?

Tinahely point-to-point are fortunate in regards of costs as we partly own the land. We are indebted to the Rothwell family for the other part of the land used. We also own the fences used. In the past we have assessed the overall cost to roughly be €20,000 to organise and run the point-to-point.

How long have you been involved in point-to-points? Have you witnessed many changes?

(Laughs) A long time! When I first became involved the administrative side was all manual and handwritten so there was much more work involved in the entry side of things. Now everything is available online and entries can be completed with a mere few clicks of a button! The atmosphere seems to have changed from one of a point-to-point being a sporting event and day out to more of a business attitude surrounding it, I think.

What is the biggest challenge with point-to-pointing?

Gathering a substantial number of entries are becoming a challenge. If there is a lack of entries it results in a domino effect as each entry usually brings more people hence a smaller card equals to a smaller attendance. Also the struggle of having enough volunteers. We require give or take 50 volunteers to run the point-to-point smoothly. People forget that there are many different roles required for each volunteer such as fence stewards, car park attendants, entry fee collectors – the list is endless!

Are there any changes or improvements you would like to see being made?

An increase in the HRI grant would be very helpful as only €6,500 of the actual grant is allocated to the staging of the event. After that, €800 is assigned as prize money to each race.

I would also like to see more volunteers become involved, especially the younger members of the hunt and the community.

What is the running order for tomorrow?

The first race kicks off at 2pm tomorrow, with the Winners Enclosure Bookmakers 4yo Maiden, followed by the 5yo Geldings Maiden. 3pm will see the Mares Winner of One 4yo+ (4yo Maidens Excl) followed by race 4 at 3.30pm the ITM Ladies Open 4yo+ (4yo Maidens Excl). Race 5 is the Lady Juliet 5yo+ Mares Maiden and the final race of the day will take place at 4.30pm, the 6yo+ Geldings Maiden.

Our first point-to-point will be held at Fairwood, Tinahely, Co Wicklow tomorrow, October 22nd. Our second point-to-point of the season will be held at the same venue on January 14th 2018.