Tour of Ireland
| Date | September and October 1985–1992 August 2007, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Region | Ireland |
| Local name(s) | Nissan Classic (1985–1992) Tour of Ireland 2007–09 |
| Nickname(s) | Nissan Classic (1985–1992) |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Type | Stage race (2.1) |
| Organiser | The Events Group/Shadetree Sports |
| First edition | 1953 |
| Editions | 35 (as of 2009) |
| Most wins |
 Sean Kelly (IRL) (4 wins) |
| Most recent |
 Russell Downing (GBR)
|
The Tour of Ireland (Irish: Turas na hÉireann, known from 1985 to 1992 as the Nissan Classic) was a bicycle stage race held in August. The first race debuted in 1953 and ran until 1957. It was revived in 1965 and ran until 1985. In 1985 the 5 day Nissan International Classic took over as the Tour of Ireland. This lasted for 8 years until 1992. The race returned in 2007 as the Tour of Ireland and is part of the UCI Europe Tour. The organisers confirmed on 1 June 2010 that the 2010 race would not take place due to a financial shortfall.
The Tour of Ireland was a cycling stage race that was run in Ireland between 1953 and 1984. It was organised originally by the Cumann Rothaíochta na hÉireann (CRE) which was later renamed the Federation of Irish Cyclists. In 1953 the Irish Government initiated An Tóstal, a cultural festival, and asked all Irish sporting bodies to participate. As part of this the CRE ran a four-day Tour of Ireland. With sponsorship from An Tostal, Aspro and Hercules cycles, the event was known as the Tostal Tour and was a big success throughout most of the country, although it was said to have "had a hard time in the NCA heartlands of Kerry" There is limited information about the race available on the internet and no book has been written about the event. The inaugural edition was a 4-day race won by Brian Haskell from John Perks and A Walker. Seamus Elliot who later won a stage and wear the maillot jaune in the 1963 Tour de France finished tenth overall. Briton Brian Robinson who also won a stage in the Tour de France finished fifth in this first edition. According to Alf Buttler, an amateur cyclist during and after the second world war the leader’s jersey was purple and the race continued but as a seven-day race the following year, 1954, beginning on Thursday 29 April. The 1954 race was covered by J B Wadley and photographer Bill Lovelace for The Bicycle magazine and a full report appeared in the 5 May issue. Bernard Pusey (England A team) won from Seamus Elliott (Ireland A team) and Tony Hoar (England B team). According to Bray Wheelers, an Irish cycling club from Bray, Wicklow, the event continued until 1957 when it stopped but was revived in 1965. During the seventies the race was known as the Raleigh Dunlop Tour of Ireland. The event continued to 1984. Winners during this period include Doug Dailey (1971, 1973), Liam Horner (1972), a double Olympian, Tony Lally (1974), a 1980 Olympian and the youngest ever winner at age 20, Pat McQuaid (1975, 1976), former UCI President, Angel Arroyo (1977), runner up in 1983 Tour de France, John Shortt (1978) and Ron Hayman (1979) who was followed home by Phil Anderson, Stephen Roche and Robert Miller in 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
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