Driven

Seven new motorbikes have been added to the Driven exhibition! 

We've acquired seven motorbikes that are connected to some of Northern Ireland's road racing legends, including Joey Dunlop and Robert Dunlop.

The History of Road Racing in Northern Ireland

In 1922, local innovator Harry Ferguson, along with several interested parties, proposed the Road Races Act to the newly formed Northern Ireland government. The passing of this significant Act began a history of motorcycle and motor vehicle road racing that has made Northern Ireland famous on a global scale. 

For over a century, road racing has been at the heart of the motorcycling community in Northern Ireland. Unlike many other countries, the culture of racing on public road circuits has endured and thrived across the island of Ireland. The risks are high, but, despite the danger, riders flock to take part in the local calendar of races with the North West 200 becoming one of the most popular in the world, attracting thousands of fans and tourists every year. 

New Motorbike Acquisitions 

This collection of bikes celebrates several generations of some of our greatest road racers of all time. Legends of the racing world, they are immortalised through their achievements and the talent and bravery they showed on the track. Joey Dunlop, Robert Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, Philip McCallen, Frank Kennedy, Tom Herron and Owen McNally all have their motorcycles featured in this exhibition covering a period from the 1970s to the 2010s.

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These motorcycles were acquired in 2023 thanks to support from the Department for Communities and the National Heritage Memorial Fund.  Our thanks to the Skelton family for their assistance with this acquisition.

About the Driven Exhibition 

Discover the men and women who pushed the boundaries in their field. Whether it was racing, engineering or endurance, the people featured in this gallery were driven to succeed. 

Featured Engineer

Rex McCandless is one of Northern Ireland’s most famous innovators inventing the Autogyro and one of the earliest four-wheel drive vehicles, the McCandless Mule. His most important contribution was the featherbed frame, a structure which revolutionised motorcycle design allowing for safer handling and a more comfortable ride.

Featured racing driver

Stanley Woods is one of the most successful motorcycle racers to have competed at the Isle of Man TT, a race he won ten times in his career. Born in Dublin in 1903, he began his racing career in 1923 winning on a Cotton motorcycle. You can see a Cotton motorcycle similar to one he would have raced on display in this exhibition.

Featured Car

One of the most important racing cars of its generation - the 1924 Sunbeam Grand Prix, winner of the Spanish Grand Prix in 1924. It was driven by Henry Seagrave who is most well-known for breaking the land speed record.