Westmeath racing memories among features of new book

Delving into an archive of thousands of images, photographer Pat Healy and sports journalist Donn McClean have come together to share over 200 memorable moments from a decade (2011-2020) of Irish jump racing.

The book includes photos depicting action from Kilbeggan and Roscommon racecourses, and from the point-to-point meeting in The Pigeons, close to Athlone.

‘Thrills and Spills: Celebrating Irish Jump Racing’ covers the big race meetings at Cheltenham and Aintree, alongside many of the Irish racecourses and point-to-point meetings. It’s a collection which celebrates the sheer spectacle that is the Irish jump racing scene.

From Listowel, Co. Kerry, racing photographer supremo Pat ‘Cash’ Healy is known to many in the horse racing world. His father Liam senior began the family photography business in the 1970s, and today Pat Healy and other members of the Healy Racing team, including his brother Liam, his nephews Kevin and Sean, and his son Jack, are familiar figures at racetracks around the country and big race meetings abroad.

From following trainers, horses, owners and jockeys, Healy Racing has captured thousands of precious moments in the sport of horse racing, many of which can be viewed on their website (healyracing.ie).

One of the chief experts of the horse racing world, Donn McClean is an award-winning journalist and author. His expert reputation has led him to ghost-write four racing autobiographies, most recently that of 20-time champion jockey, Anthony McCoy. He writes columns on racing for The Sunday Times and the Irish Field and is a regular guest on Racing TV and RTÉ.