In 1752 a race took place between Edmund Blake and Cornelius O Callaghan from the Steeple in St. John’s, Buttevant to the Steeple in St. Mary’s Doneraile, thus giving the terms Steeplechasing and Point to Point to racing. A re-enactment of this race has taken place on a number of occasions by kind permission of the landowners. The most recent running of it took place in 2012.
This blog post was written as part of a training project funded by Ballyhoura Development Ltd. and is part of a community project in local heritage and tourism. If you wish to take part in a guided tour of Doneraile town and Doneraile Park then contact http://doneraile.ie/doneraile-park-guided-tours and download our forthcoming high quality, free app at Abarta Guides.