THE borough’s pivotal role in developing motorsport across Ireland takes centre stage in a new exhibition entitled The Birth of Irish Motor Racing.
The North Down Museum exhibition also marks the 100th anniversary year of the Ulster Automobile Club as it traces the origins of motor racing from the early 20th century through to the golden age of the 1920s and 1930s.
The exhibition highlights how Ards and North Down became a centre for innovation, competition and international sporting prestige.
Founded in 1925, the Ulster Automobile Club is the oldest motorsports club in Northern Ireland and is one of the oldest in the United Kingdom. Established to promote the emerging sport of motor racing, the club went on to organise some of the island’s most iconic and enduring events.
Such is the club’s longevity that two of its earliest competitions, the Circuit of Ireland Rally and the Craigantlet Hill Climb, are still staged annually today.
Visitors to the exhibition can explore the club’s early years, when its members helped to shape the sport itself; in the aftermath of World War I and the partition of Ireland, motor racing was used as a way to promote the car industry and boost tourism.
This fledgling sport was also supported by progressive legislation that permitted road racing in Northern Ireland when it was banned across the rest of the United Kingdom.
The exhibition details how up to half a million people came to the first Tourist Trophy (TT) race in Ards in 1928, with the development of the Circuit of Ireland Rally and the popular County Down Trophy Race, drawing large crowds to Donaghadee and Bangor during the 1930s.
Displayed in the museum’s Long Gallery, The Birth of Irish Motor Racing features a rare collection of artefacts from the Ulster Automobile Club archive and private racing collections. Original programmes, photographs and memorabilia reveal the depth of the Borough’s connections to the sport and to Bangor Castle itself.
Speaking at the exhibition launch, the Mayor Gillian McCollum said: “This exhibition shines a light on a fascinating chapter of our local history and the significant role our borough played on the international motor racing stage. It is a proud reminder of the ambition, ingenuity and sporting legacy that continues to define Ards and North Down.”
The Birth of Irish Motor Racing runs until Sunday, August 9 at North Down Museum and is open during normal museum hours. Admission is free.
