A Good Old Irish Fight.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 247, 24 October 1885, Page 5

A Good Old Irish Fight.

Kilrosh on the Shannon, County Clare, Ireland, was the scene of tremendous excitement and rioting on 12th Sept. at the races for the Kilrush and Clare Plates. For several days past bitter complaints havo been made throughont this part of Ireland against obnoxious landlords who devote themselves to horse-racing. To-day tho following notice was posted in flaming letters in the streets and on fences for miles about.

Men of Clare : Are you going to allow theso vile instruments of landlord tyranty, Tom Sheedy and Charly Martin, who carried their death Bentonce to so many of our brethren, notah'y to Mrs Molrney. who perished' after her eviction, to run their horses, Harkaway and Stella filly, in the People's race? If bojuu share !in their Infamy. Show yourselves roc-, and be there to prevent it, as the sooundrol. are defying you. God rave Ireland 1

Thousands of people were present to witness the day's sport. The raco-course wan lined with enormous crowds of angry, men women and children, yelling and brandishing shillelas. Everybody folt that a bi : ; fight was to come off. The owners of horsi _ about to run resorted to strategy to avoid the vengeance of the populace. Sheedy disguised his horse, Harkaway, by painting its legs white and its nose jetblack, and tho rider did not wear the owner's usual colour*. In this extraordinary disguise, Haikaway started, ran the race, and returned to the paddock without any host ile demonstration. Encouraged by the success of this device, Mr Martin dUguised his filly in a similarmanner, painting hor all over a reddish brown. The Stella filly was about to start in the last race, but was ridden by Lynch, a popular jockey of tho County, who was soon recognised by the crowd, in . pito a the precaution tuken on changing tho racing colours. The filly and rider wero a. once hailod with a storm of groans, hisso and yells. Tho greatest confusion pro vailed at tho starting-post and a freo ligh; ensued. Tbo wild scene reached its dim,. at the first fence when the jockey and.illwere assailed with sticks and stones. Lynel was knocked offthehorse and dragged abou on the ground, whero tho people jumped c.i him. His head was cut open and ho na; rowly escaped with his lifo. Another jockey waa struck on tho head with a atone, which left a large, gaping wound. All t.it jockeys wero torn offtheirhorses and kick... and dragged about. A real old-fashioned Irish shindy took place all over the course. Hundreds of heada wore smashed. No ono was killed. By a curious concidence Captain Boycott had a horse running in the same race. _ His jockey and animal escaped unharmed in the melee.