Veterans are there for the long haul

The first day of the last big classic of the coursing season, the JP McManus Irish Cup, and there he was, Brian Tansey, taking up his usual position on the viewing balcony at the top of the stand in Limerick racecourse in Patrickswell.

To call Brian a veteran is something of an understatement; in the close and familial world of coursing, Brian is the Daddy of them all, the Granddaddy of many. “I’ll be 94 on August 10, if the Lord leaves me on this planet,” he tells you; “I used to smoke, a lot – I bought my cigarettes by the carton until a good friend of mine worked on me to give them up, brainwashed me for two years – that was about 33 years ago, and I haven't smoked since.

“I rarely take a drink these days, not since my wife died, 1997 – that came as an awful shock to me. We were married for 56 years, a wonderful woman, always brought happiness to my life. What keeps me going is a passionate interest in life, in what’s happening all round me in the world. I still read a lot, I’m a crossword fiend, but most important, I have a very positive outlook on life.”