R J Mecredy has been called ‘the father of Irish motoring’ however before he became interested in automobiles in his late thirties he had been deeply involved with the development and promotion of cycling in Ireland. If one person is entitled to the title of ‘the father of Irish cycling it’s Mecredy.
Richard James Patrick Mecredy, was born in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway on the 18th May 1861.
Educated at Portora Royal School Enniskillen and later at Trinity College Dublin from which he graduated in 1884. His childhood and young adulthood coincided with all the major developments in cycling technology beginning in the early 1860s and extending to the early 1890s culminating with the arrival of the chain-drive ‘safety’, a machine with two equally sized wheels and equipped with pneumatic tyres. Mecredy was renowned as a ‘crack’ cyclist
Mecredy, while at Trinity, had become deeply involved with the growing sport and pastime of cycling. In 1883 while cycling through Kildare he came upon a cycle race which Arjay impulsively entered and won. He was an all-rounder who excelled in many cycling disciplines winning a total of 9 Irish championship medals in the 1880s and 90s.
In 1885 Mecredy founded the (IAAA) in competition with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) founded the previous year.
His interest in cycling journalism began in 1885, first as a contributor to the Tralee-based Irish Cyclist & Athlete journal and later that year became editor and in 1886 became part-owner with his brother Alexander moving its office to Dublin. In 1890 Mecredy co-authored The Art & Pastime of Cycling, followed in 1892 by the Cyclist & Pedestrian Guide, neighbourhood of Dublin. Also published were cycling road maps and Mecredy’s Road Book.
It was Mecredy’s journalism that brought him into contact with John Boyd Dunlop the Scottish born Belfast based veterinarian who in 1888 had developed a canvas covered ‘air tyre’ for bicycles. Dunlop was interviewed in the pages of The Irish Cyclist in 1889 and Mecredy became a strong supporter and a director of the Pneumatic Tyre and Booth’s Cycle Agency Ltd. with the prominent Dublin businessman Harvey du Cross Snr. as its commercial driving force.
1890 was to prove an important year for the popularity of the new tyre, firstly with the annual London Stanley Show in January where it was showcased and heavily marketed in The Irish Cyclist & Athlete special edition. Later that same year Mecredy competed at the English championships in London whereas part of ‘The Irish Brigade’ equipped with pneumatics they swept all opposition aside proving the superiority of the new bicycle tyre. What few disadvantages there were with the tyre such as cost, side slippage and difficulty of removal and repair were to be overcome with the development of beaded tyres and two-way air valves within a couple of years.
Mecredy was a lifelong believer in outdoor living, something he not only preached but practiced building himself a wood and canvas structure in the garden of his home in Bray that he often slept in. This lifestyle complemented his passion for cycling and his later interest in motoring with open-top vehicles. His book Health’s Highway was published in 1909 as a practical guide to the health benefits of fresh air.
Richard James Mecredy was, through his advocacy and publishing, truly ‘The Father of Irish Cycling’.
Story by Brian Phelan
Brian is a retired merchant navy radio officer living in Dublin, now in his mid-70s. A lifelong cycling enthusiast, he has spent decades touring both in Ireland and abroad. Over the past ten to fifteen years, his passion has extended to early cycling history, leading him to build an extensive collection of books and ephemera on the subject.
If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
Check out our previous video on the development of the pneumatic tyre: “John Boyd Dunlop – tyre inventor or pretender?”
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Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Bicycling News – The George Moore Collection
Booth’s Bicycle depot Dublin 1889 – The George Moore Collection
Cyclist & Pedestrian Guide
Cyclist & Pedestrian Guide, the neighbourhood of Dublin – Mecredy
Health’s Highway – Mecredy 1909
Mecredy’s Cyclist Map of Connemara
No author, The George Morre Collection, 6 Volumes published from 1979 to 1985
R J Mecredy, the father of Irish motoring by Bob Montgomery 2003 Dreoilín Album 12
Sir Arthur du Cross, Wheels of Fortune, a salute to pioneers 1938 Chapman & Hall
The Art & Pastime of Cycling – Mecredy & Stoney
The Irish Cyclist November 1892 – The lilliput Press
The Irish Cyclist Stanley Show special edition January 30th 1890
Waterford Treasures
Wheels of Fortune – Arthur du Cross, Chapman & Hall 1938
