The event itself and “moving monuments”
The scale of the Grand Prix was the first of its kind in Ireland. The 2-day event was held over 3 years on a 4.25 mile circuit laid out in the expansive grounds of The Phoenix Park in Dublin. The Park provided the perfect setting for the circuit – the long straight of Chesterfield Avenue, with tighter stretches of road along the outer edges of the park. The speed trials in 1903 provided the route for the races – starting just before the Viceregal Lodge(Áras an Uachtaráin) and travelling in a clockwise direction down Chesterfield Avenue, around Mountjoy corner and heading back up the North Road towards the people’s park and Parkgate street before taking a loop back round to the finish line. The Government even granted permission to temporarily remove the Phoenix Monument for the events as it was directly in the path of the race circuit. Grandstands stretching over 250 yards were erected along the route to add to the race atmosphere. To mark this great occasion, a special map was published by Tailte Éireann (formerly OSi) in 1929.
