HANNAFIN CUP RESURRECTED AT TRALEE

Barry Drake

Many of the older generation of greyhound racing enthusiasts will have fond memories of the annual running of the MJ Hannafin Memorial Cup in the 1950s and 1960s which created a great buzz around the town of Tralee.

The cup was in memory of Mikey Joe Hannafin who was the manager of Tralee Track from it's inception in 1930 to his retirement in 1950.

Mikey Joe was born at 17 Ashe Street, Tralee along with three brothers Jerry, Denis and Percy. Jerry and Denis emigrated to London and became highly regarded greyhound trainers at Wimbledon. They trained their dogs at the well known Burr Hill Kennels at Walton-on-Thames.

As trainers Jerry and Denis had great success. They wont he Puppy Derby four times, the Glld Collar twice and the Grand National and crowned off their career with a Derby win in 1957. Their brother Percy was killed by Crown forces in 1921 outside Benners garage on Edward Street Tralee, a laneway (Percy Hannafin Way) which runs between Edward Street and Ashe Street is named after him.

This new Hannafin Cup will commemorate the Hannafin brothers for their dedication to greyhound racing. The event is sponsored by Kevin Hannafin (son of Jerry) along with Thomas Ward with the trophy sponsored by the Slieve Mish Bar Tralee.

The 2025 Hannafin Cup is for 24-36 Current A2 Greyhounds over 525yds with 1st Round on Friday August  22nd. Entry €30. 

For entries and further information please call the Racing Office in Tralee on 061 448057 or Text/WhatsApp to 085 857 0156

Pictured below: The launch of the 2025 Hannafin Cup at the Kingdom Greyhound Stadium: Racing Manager Kieran Casey, Kevin Hannafin, Ben Ward and Thomas Ward.