National Hunt and Point-to-Point Racing in Ireland
A history
Frances Nolan
"A national sport deeply linked in both our history and identity. From its humble beginnings to its world leading status. This is a really well written account of the story of National Hunt and Point To Point Racing, and the rollercoaster it has taken people and horses on. Living their dreams and the journeys they had to get there." Barry Geraghty (Twice Irish Champion Jockey, Grand National Winner & 43 Cheltenham Festival winners)
"This is a brilliant book. It is much more than the history of a sport. For generations of Irish families, National hunt and point-to-point racing has been the great passion of their lives. Frances Nolan has captured that passion and this book expertly explores its importance of modern Irish life." Paul Rouse (Sports Historian and Professor in the School of History at UCD)
“Frances Nolan has done a terrific job in presenting this book, beautifully produced with stunning illustrations, in tracing the sport from the 18th century to the present day, also tracing the striking differences that pervaded after 1922. A must read for both horse lovers and horse riders and potentially another beautiful gift from Four Courts Press.” Meath Chronicle, September 2025.
“Nolan, a historian based in UCD, deftly weaves colourful and telling anecdotes with the serious history of how Irish jump racing has been shaped by politics and economics.” Ronnie Bellew, Irish Independent, October 2025.
“This important book is highly recommended”, Mark Costello, The Irish Field, October 2025.
“This familiarity with the [horse racing] scene lends Nolan's writing an authentic touch and provides a level of insight into the modern workings of the sport that shows genuine understanding. Besides, she is not shy about discussing challenges it has faced in recent decades. Nolan draws on her professional training and a subtle understanding of jump racing's evolution to split the narrative into six chronological chapters.” Alan Sweetman, Racing Post, All Things Ireland, October 2025.
“An OUTSTANDING new book by Frances Nolan gives a unique insight into the place of the horse in Irish life. In its conception, its research, its writing, and its presentation, it is of the very highest quality. On page after page, the book, National Hunt and Point-to-Point Racing in Ireland – reveals how important horse racing has been to social and cultural life on this island. This is a love which prospers generation after generation and shows no sign of diminishing.” Paul Rouse, the Irish Examiner
“Nolan has produced a beautiful book, and presents it in a format that is enjoyable to read. Broken into six periods of time, it is easy to dip in and out of too. […] I have rarely encountered a book that is so lavishly strewn with photographs, each with a story to tell. […] Nolan clearly has a love for the sport, thanks to a couple of connections going back in time. Her grandmother worked as a cook for trainer Dan Moore at Old Fairyhouse Stud, now the site of the Tattersalls Ireland sales complex. This is across the road from the racecourse, and it was at Fairyhouse, home to the Irish Grand National, that Nolan’s grandfather was foreman for more than half a century. [...] Frances Nolan has produced a masterpiece. In an age when people rely too much on Google to provide answers, this is a book that will be referenced for many decades to come. Horses, people, places and races are recalled, alongside a commentary on what was happening socially and politically from 1752 up to 2022. The sport of NH racing and the world of point-to-pointing might not be a global phenomenon, it is arguably more colourful than its Flat counterpart.” Leo Powell, International Thoroughbred, November 2025.
“The book is a splendid reference work for anyone interested in horse racing and at the same time a painstakingly researched historical work for a wider readership, illustrating the modern history of the nation as well as the sport in an original and compelling way. […] [Frances’s] expertise as an historian coupled with her personal connection to the sport provides a remarkable insight into the development of what was to become a treasured industry, respected and envied the world over. […] This is not only one of racing’s books of the year but a volume deserving of a prime place right there on the shelf among the very best books written about the sport. It will doubtless also be regarded as a serious historical analysis for social and political reference. […] Frances Nolan’s masterpiece of Irish racing history is an outstanding prospective gift for truly-loved racing fans everywhere.” Alex Gifford, Racing Ahead, November 2025.
“Rarely has the racing scene been looked at in its entirety, as Frances Nolan has done in National Hunt and Point-to-Point Racing in Ireland: A history.” Meath Chronical, November 2025
“There’s been a sudden burst of publications on equitation and equestrianism, both in history and archaeology. Some have been curate’s eggs, some so utterly dreadful that I am genuinely unsure if they’ve ever even touched a horse – and then there’s Frances Nolan’s delight of a book. This is no dry specialist volume; it will appeal not only to the horsie brigade, but to anyone interested in the transformations of Irish society from the turbulent 18th century through to the modern day. Sport and politics, as we see all too often in the modern world, collide and richochet off each other like a set of 1970s Clackers (remember those?). This is that rare and wondrous thing, a clever history book enlivened by dry wit (Brendan Behan’s wicked description of the Ascendancy as simply being ‘protestants with horses’ made a few of my ‘old money’ horsie friends laugh out loud), and underpinned by a detailed understanding of the horse as a proxy for social change … From the first point-to-point of the 18th century, Nolan threads together an eccentric and compelling cast of characters who gallop straight into the broader narrative of Irish history, whether contending with the aftermath of the Penal Codes, which forbade Catholics to own a horse worth more than £5, or the crushing poverty of Black ’47, the uncertainty of the 1916 Rising, or the turbulence of the Irish Civil War. Both humans and horses are given their rightful place in the story, courage, passion – and shrewdness - leaping off the page. Particularly striking is the account of how Partition strained relationships across the newly forged border – and how, remarkably, the shared love of horses helped bridge that divide. Nolan’s background in a racing family shines through in the deliciously gossipy insider details scattered throughout the book, and it only enhances her scholarly writing abilities. I read it in a single sitting on a train journey and suspect I’ll return to it for sheer enjoyment. An absolute odds-on favourite for any Christmas stocking – yours or a friend’s.” Rena Maguire, Ulster Archaeological Society, Winter 2025.
