THE town of Ballinrobe in Co Mayo has strengthened its ties to racing, with the unveiling of a racehorse and jockey sculpture on the Castlebar Road.

The brainchild of the local Tidy Towns Committee, the artwork is entitled ‘The Spirit of Ballinrobe’ and it has been two years in the making.

The project began in 2022, when Paul McDonald (Ballinrobe Tidy Towns) saw a horse sculpture elsewhere and thought that his town should have something similar to mark Ballinrobe’s long association with racing, dating back to at least 1773.

Paul approached local artist Tommy Kerrigan, who was quick to come up with a plan. His proposal involved creating a life-sized racehorse from cedar wood, complete with jockey and jump.

Paul brought the plan and costings back to the Tidy Towns Committee and, with the 250th anniversary of racing in the town in mind, the committee agreed to take the project forward.

“This was by far the most expensive project we’d ever taken on,” said Peter Heaps, treasurer. “We knew that a huge fundraising effort would be needed to bring our vision to life.”

And the town didn’t disappoint. All three local councillors - Michael Burke, Patsy O’Brien and Damien Ryan - contributed funds and the Racecourse Committee were hugely supportive, donating money and also the jump.

Racecourse manager, John Flannelly said: “We were delighted to get involved with this project with the Tidy Towns to celebrate the long history of horse racing here in Ballinrobe.”

And local businesses got behind the effort too, offering donations and raffle prizes, and Biggins’ Bar ran a memorable Drag Night fundraiser.

Tommy completed the horse in June of 2023 and the sculpture went on temporary display at the racecourse, while its final location on the Castlebar Road was being prepared.

Thanks to area engineer Kenneth Morley and his team at the Council, the necessary permissions were sought and the footpath re-routed to accommodate the horse.

Frank Keane from the Community Development Council was also on hand to help move the horse into position, no mean feat for a piece that weighs nearly three tonnes.

“We’re all delighted with the end result,” said James Morley. “It’s great to be able to do something to honour the heritage of our town in such a beautiful way. Fair play to Tommy, it’s a work of art.”

Jonathan Mullin, director of racing with Horse Racing Ireland, was on hand to cut the ribbon to officially launch the sculpture recently.