For the next few days 140 machines take to the roads of West Cork & Kerry for this years National Assembly. We’ll have updates and pictures each evening so come back at your leisure.
Pre-event Monday pics here.
Tuesday pics here.
Wednesday pics here.
Thursday pics here.
I am writing to you in regards to a constituent of Minister Shane Ross’s, Ms Tina Stokes.
Ms Stokes is enquiring about a Medal that was presented to her father in and around August 19929. Her father who was a famous motorcyclist at this time was presented this gold medal OBO The President of the Executive Council but Ms Stokes is not sure why he was presented this. Her father had just won The Golden Mile with a speed of 95.6 miles per hour on his 350cc excelsior motorbike.
The Motorcycle Race was run by the Cork Motorcycle Club in 1929. The medal won by Mr B.P. Carton along with a few other of his medals were loaded to Dublin & District Motorcycle Club to be used in the making of the Chairman’s chain. At some points while in the possession of Dublin & District Motorcycle Club the chain was stolen and has never been recovered.
Ms Stokes has a number of questions she is looking for answers to:
1, Why was this medal presented to her father in 1929 OBO The President of the Executive Council.
2. It is rumoured that the Cosgrave family also had something to do with this medal.
3. The medal itself was cast by Egan Jewellers, Cork, unfortunately the present owner is retired and suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Mr B. P. Carton was an employee of the ESB all of his life and lives on Garville Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6.
Mr B.P. Carton was also a successful motorcyclist in the sand races which used to be held on Portmarnock Beach back in the late 20’s and early 30’s.
Mr B.P. Carton was also mentioned in the Irish Cyclist & Motor Cyclist August 28, 1929, page 19. The paragraph was called ‘’A Lonely Race’’.
Would it be possible to supply as much information about Mr B.P Carton for his daughter Ms Stokes as she is getting older and would love to pass as much of her father’s story onto her children. Also if a proper photograph or cast of this medal was available Ms Stokes would love to get the Medal recast and pass it on to her children.
Her father’s achievements in the 1920’s and early 1930’s were out of this world for an Irish Motorcyclist. Ms Stoke’s wants her father’s memory to live on if only through her family.
Could you please advise where we could start to look for documents in regard to this Medal and any information relating to the late B. P. Carton.
Yours sincerely,
John Bourke
Constituency Officer to:
Shane Ross
Independent TD
Dublin Rathdown