For the first time in many years there were far more bicycles in West Street today than cars. It was a special occasion as large crowds gathered to witness the start of the 70th Rás Tailteann cycling race.

Having left Drogheda, the huge entourage, including 145 cyclists and many more support vehicles, international media on motorbikes head westwards to finish the first stage this evening in Boyle, Co Roscommon.

The 2025 edition of the race is in five stages and the cyclists will travel over 760 kms including 13 categorised climbs. The final stage will see them cycle from Kildare Town before entering Co Meath where the winner of Rás Tailteann will be crowned in Bective.

Mayor of Drogheda Cllr. Paddy McQuillan welcomed all and sundry to the town by outlining Drogheda’s proud history in the sport of cycling and then it was over to Minister of State for Sport Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, and Media, Charlie McConalogue TD, to get the Rás underway.

The 5-day, 760-kilometre bike race features teams from around the World including the USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Isle of Man, and Mexico, along with the Irish National Team and home-based county teams.

Among the large crowd who lined the length of West Street we met Patrick O’Connor, formerly of Bothar Brugha in Drogheda who was a member of the first Louth cycling ever to finish the Rás back in 1960.

Patrick was a member of the Lourdes Cycling Club back then but his memories of the Rás are not all happy ones however as he was involved in a pile up outside Killarney and was badly injured losing his front teeth.

Speaking before he started the race today, Minister McConalogue said he would like to see participation levels in sport and physical activity maximised to the greatest extent possible and cycling is prioritised in our National Sports Policy as one of the sports that has the greatest potential for generating higher levels of active participation, across all age groups.

“Ireland has a rich and long-standing tradition of road cycle racing, dating back to the 19th century. Inspirational trailblazers such as Shay Elliot, Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly, inspired so many to take up the sport.

“The Rás Tailteann is one of Ireland’s top sporting events and has consistently brought world class sporting action and a significant economic boost to towns and villages nationwide. It has been a major event on the national and international calendar for many years, renowned for its role developing both Ireland’s top domestic riders and some of the world’s top names.

“I want to acknowledge the huge work of all the organisers, especially the volunteers, that continue to make this event the success story that it is. I congratulate the Rás on its 70th birthday and I wish all the competing cyclists, the very best of luck.”

With that the banner went up and the 145 cyclists from 29 teams representing Ireland, the UK, USA, Germany, the Isle of Man, and Mexico were on their way to their next stop in Roscommon.