It is a fittingly bleak morning in Skerries. A low canopy of grey cloud shrouds the area, a strong southerly gale batters the land, rain dampens the spirit and the barometer has plunged to a deep low. Sadly, a fine rider, #32, Myles Byrne, was killed in the Grand Final at the Skerries 100 motorcycle road races yesterday. The races were cancelled after the incident.

Many in Skerries and district – and, I am sure, all those who attended the Skerries 100 road races over the weekend – will wish to join me in extending condolences to the family of the fallen rider and to his team, fellow riders, friends, supporters and fans. And, at this sad time for them, our thoughts will also be with the fine members and supporters of the Loughshinny Motorcycle Supporters Club, who organised such a marvellous event over the weekend. A spectator was injured in the incident and is being treated in hospital. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Motorcycle road racing is a dangerous sport and claims some lives every year. The great Joey Dunlop, his brother Robert, local man Martin Finnegan, Gary Dynes, Andrew Neill, Richard Britton, Darran Lindsay, and many more have lost their lives while pursuing their passion and, at the same time, delighting and entertaining spectators and fans of the sport.

I am sure that, as in the past, this latest death will lead to some calls for the sport of motorcycle road racing to be banned. When I see the incredible speeds – up to about 160 mph – these powerful bikes achieve on the narrow 2.9-mile circuit above Skerries town, I sometimes wonder at the sense of the sport myself. How these riders control their mighty machines at such speeds amazes me and I would certainly not like any of my children to join the sport. So I am torn between my sadness at yesterday’s tragic incident and the great enjoyment I get out of watching the bikes roar past my garden every year. You see, I have the great privilege to live on the course.

It seems to me that motorcycle road racing is, for those who participate and for those who follow it, more than simply sport – it is a passion and an innate driving force. You can feel it when you visit Skerries. The town and countryside are steeped in road racing history and in modern tales of great achievements; bitter losses; mechanical failures; stuck gears; close calls; weekends away; sore tumbles; bales of hay; annual hedge and grass trimming; pot-holed roads on the circuits; arguments at committee meetings; local rivalries; great friendships and mutual respect. The town has many local heroes to follow and admire: 99, David “Yomo” Yeomans; 20, David “Hammer” Lumsden; 65, Michael Sweeney; 96, Andrew Farrell; 73, Derek Costello and the Howard Brothers: 33, David and 75, Damien. I’m sure I have omitted some local riders and, if so, I apologise. And, of course, we will never forget the late Flying Finn, #45 Martin Finnegan.

While a lone rider mounts the bike and braves the hairpins, brows, hollows, leaps, and potholes on the track, road racing in Skerries is really a community sport. Even people like me (I started watching it because I am locked in my garden for one wonderful weekend every year), who were not reared in the sport, have come to love it in large numbers. I had never seen the sport until I came to live in Skerries and now look forward every year to the first Saturday in July and to September for Killalane.

A brave rider has tragically fallen. Let his fellow comrades – the warriors of the road – decide the future of their great pursuit. The decision should be theirs. Going on past evidence I am sure that the sport will live on and that the Skerries air will reverberate once again to the thunderous roar of Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha and the great classic engines. I hope that I will continue to hear those engines roar, smell the rubber burn, taste the octane, see the sun glint on chrome and steel, and feel the rush of wind caress my face as the bikes speed over the wonderful Skerries 100 track. I wish all riders safe passage and trust that each of them – winners, runners-up and also-rans – will remember their fallen comrades as they seek glory in one of the greatest sports on earth.

May Myles find peace and may his family and friends find consolation. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.