Ben McKenna (1939 – 26 March 1992) was an Irish

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

. He won the

Rás Tailteann Rás Tailteann (; "Tailteann Race"), often shortened to the Rás, is an annual international cycling stage race, held in Ireland. Traditionally held in May, the race returned after a hiatus in 2022 as 5 day event held in June. By naming the rac ...

in 1959.

Early life

McKenna was born at Cottage Hill,

Stamullen Stamullen () is a village in County Meath, Ireland on the border with County Dublin. It lies just off the M1 motorway 32 km north of Dublin city centre and beside the Delvin River. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, it expanded sig ...

in 1939; his family later moved to

Julianstown Julianstown () is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It is located near Drogheda on the R132 regional road. In 1641, the Battle of Julianstown was fought here during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. History The parish of Julianstown is situated ...

Career

McKenna was a founding member of St. Patrick's East Meath cycling club in 1955. He first competed in the

in 1956, and won the competition in 1959. He finished second in 1961 and 1964. McKenna also won the Rás Laighean in 1958, the Mick Beggan Memorial in 1959 and the

Tour of Ulster The Tour of Ulster is a road bicycle racing stage race held around the Irish province of Ulster, divided between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It was first run in 1956. It is rated as a National Event on the Union Cycliste Inte ...

in 1960. He retired from cycling in 1977.

Personal and later life

McKenna was Chief Commissaire for the 1983 Rás. He also had a role in the reunification of the politically divided Irish cycling world, which culminated in the creation of

Cycling Ireland Cycling Ireland or CI is the operating name of the national governing body of the sport of cycling in the island of Ireland. Formally the body is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the Irish Cycling Federation. CI is a member of the U ...

in 1987. McKenna married Grace Bosonnet and had six children; he died in 1992 aged just 52.

Legacy

The Ben McKenna Memorial is an annual cycling race held in

Balbriggan Balbriggan (; , ) is a suburban coastal town in Fingal, in the northern part of County Dublin, Ireland. It is approximately 34 km north of the city of Dublin, for which it is a commuter town. The 2022 census population was 24,322 for Bal ...

. McKenna was inducted into the Cycling Ireland Hall of Fame in 2017.

References

Irish male cyclists Rás Tailteann winners Sportspeople from County Meath 1939 births 1992 deaths People from Stamullen 20th-century Irish sportsmen {{Ireland-cycling-bio-stub