New exhibit at Mayo museum recalls Soap Box dreams from 1950s Ireland

THE heyday of Soap Box car racing in the 1950s is being recalled at the National Museum of Ireland in Turlough Park, Castlebar.

A vibrant red Soap Box car from the era - recently donated to the Irish Folklife Collection - has gone on public display for the first time today.

Titled Ready, Steady, Go! - Soap Box Dreams in 1950s Ireland, this new exhibit marks the 70th anniversary of the first National Soap Box Derby, held on July 8, 1956, at Feltrim Hill, Malahide, Co. Dublin.

Soap Box car racing, also known as 'Gravity Racing', was at the height of its popularity in the 1950s and '60s. It takes its name from the early cars constructed mostly by young boys using scavenged materials - such as soap box crates - and raced on neighbourhood streets.

The car on display in the National Museum was driven by Joseph Moran, a young racer from Westport. He competed in the Connacht & Mayo Soap Box Trials on June 17, 1956, an event in Westport that attracted up to 4,000 spectators.

Galway and Mayo had competed in the GAA Connacht Championship earlier that day. A large crowd stayed in the locality to take in the spectacle of the Soap Box car race.

James Street provided the perfect gradient for the ‘gravity racing’ event and the distinctive voice of legendary RTÉ sports commentator Micheal O'Hehir added to the evening’s drama.

Joseph progressed from the Mayo trails to the National Derby in Dublin the following month - on July 8, 1956.

There were 83 race entrants that year. A newspaper advertisement at the time called on boys aged 11 to 15 to race their homemade Soap Box cars down a hill - relying on gravity alone to get them off the start line and gathering speed.

The coveted first prize was an all-expenses paid trip to the USA to compete in the 1956 All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

While Joseph's Soap Box dreams of a national title and a trip to America did not materialise, the winner was another west of Ireland racer - Alan Murray from Sligo. He went on to compete at the world-famous derby in August in Ohio - with an estimated attendance of 65,000 spectators.

Welcoming the opening of the new exhibit, Liam Doherty, curator with the Irish Folklife Division at the National Museum of Ireland, said: "This exhibit takes a fresh look at an interesting and colourful chapter from sporting and social history in 1950s Ireland.

“Collectively these carts or cars are known as Gravity Racers. As they contain no motors or pedals, the speed achieved by each car is the product of the hill they race on, assisted by the construction skills and driving abilities of their driver. In the case of the car on display at Turlough Park this was the design, construction skills and labour of Joseph Moran with some assistance from his father, Thomas J. Moran.

“We are very grateful to the donors for such a vibrant and engaging object. Through it, and the few brief years when Soap Box racing was at its height here, we have an opportunity to explore, remember and re-examine aspects of 1950s Ireland at local, national and international level."

'Ready, Steady, Go! - Soap Box Dreams in 1950s Ireland' is on display now at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park. Everyone is welcome and admission is free.