WORD came through at T.P. Burns’ funeral on Wednesday of the death of another Irish champion jockey – J.P. ‘Joe’ Byrne.

Having fought cancer for two years Joe had succumbed to a brain haemorrhage. He was in his mid-60s.

When Joe headed the National Hunt table in 1979 he interrupted Frank Berry’s reign, stretching from 1977 to 1987. Dubliner Joseph Philip Byrne was apprenticed to Toss Taaffe at Rathcoole in 1970, taking out his jumping licence in 1972. The following year his indentures were transferred to Toss’s brother, Pat Taaffe, in Straffan.

Joe’s start coincided with that of trainer Noel Meade, forging an association that would see both head their respective leagues. The catalyst was a quixotic, grey cast-off called Tu Va.

Noel owned, trained and rode Tu Va to win over hurdles at Wexford in August 1971, prompting him to observe to Tu Va’s former trainer, ‘Buster’ Harty, that he wouldn’t be doing that again!

Noel stuck Tu Va into a six-furlong sprint at Navan, his local course, booking 7lb claimer J.P. Byrne to do 7st. Called a first winner for Joe after a photo-finish, Tu Va paid 35/1 on the Tote. Noel duly named his newly-built stables Tu Va. Coincidentally, the only other pilot ever to have cajoled Tu Va home in front just happened to have been T.P. Burns.

The speed at which Joe and Noel rose to the top of their respective trees is reflected in Joe being crowned champion jump jockey in 1979 with 48 winners, while the following year Noel went on to saddle 40 winners of 67 races, more than any other trainer.

IN DEMAND

Joe’s ability to ‘do light’ ensured that his services were constantly in demand, especially in valuable handicaps, in an era when use of the whip had yet to be classified as ‘excessive’ in Ireland. It did lead to both Joe and Tommy Ryan receiving three-month suspensions at Cheltenham in 1980.

Joe gained Cheltenham Festival compensation when riding Churchfield Boy to win the Grand Annual for Michael Cunningham in 1983.

However, it was not weight or whip but innate jockeyship that enabled Joe to join a select coterie of jockeys to complete the coveted Galway Plate and Hurdle double as he did in 1984 on Master Player for Tom Bergin and Tara Lee for Bill Durkan. No one has done similar since, to Joe’s annual, audible delight.

That jockeyship had seen him win on another Tu Va type – Scorching Day. A chance mount at Dundalk, Scorching Day was ‘whip-allergic’. Duly apprised, Joe took the shortest way round, rattling his stick off the plastic running rail to land a puzzled winner.

Retiring to train in Kentstown in 1987, Joe achieved sufficient success to provide a launching pad for his son Josh.

Our condolences to wife Pauline, sons Josh and Don and daughter Leanne. He will lie in repose in St Joseph’s Chapel of Rest in Navan on Sunday from 5pm to 9pm, and on Monday from 3.15pm. He will be removed at 6.15pm to St Mary’s Church in Navan, and his funeral mass takes place on Tuesday at 10am. G.W.