Another Night, Another Record
Hill and Dale Race 8 – the Loughshannagh Horseshoe by Bogusboy.
Tell them little and keep them guessing appears to have been the mantra of the long-standing directors of this spectacular showcase event of the Hill & Dale series. There is always speculation about the direction, even if it is posted well in advance. Is it Ott first or Carn first? Is it clockwise or anticlockwise. To ensure that uncertainty prevailed it was declared that it was definitely Ott first and the race would go anticlockwise! That may seem fair enough to the unwise and the untrained until one realises that this would mean climbing Ott before coming back in the same direction. Needless to say, there was much chatter and debate and only one of the Race Directors was available for comment and he quickly declared, ‘that was nothing to do with me,’ leaving his long-suffering organising partner under the proverbial bus. All was resolved with and those registering were duly informed that it was most definitely Ott first in a clockwise direction. When someone with sense and wit in equal measures asked about next year’s race, ‘Carn first, clockwise’ was immediately proclaimed, though not by McCrickard!