Dermot Dignam is synonymous with Rás Tailteann, having organised the event for decades and been at the helm as it became an international UCI-ranked stage race.
It’s no exaggeration to say Dignam remains one of the most respected, and well-liked, figures in Irish cycling. And now his contribution to the storied Irish stage race is to be honoured in the county rider classification at this year’s edition.
The race gets underway tomorrow, Wednesday, from Drogheda, Co Louth, and over the next five stages the county rider classification will be hotly contested. Next Sunday, at the big finale in Bective, Co Meath, the new ‘Dermot Dignam County Rider Award’ will be presented to the winner of the classification.
“Dermot Dignam’s dedication defined the Rás Tailteann for generations,” said current Rás Tailteann race director, Ger Campbell. “He believed passionately in county pride and grassroots competition, values at the heart of our race since 1953.
“This award ensures his legacy lives on, rewarding those same county riders he championed throughout his remarkable career,” said Campbell, adding the award was intended to celebrate the exceptional county rider performance of the Rás, starting this year and continuing into the future.
The fight for the inaugural trophy in honour of Dignam, who still turns out to see the race, would also “cement his ethos of county loyalty and grassroots development”. The award would also “carry forward the spirit of a man who has devoted his life to the Rás Tailteann”, Campbell added.
Dignam may be best known for his work as race director for over three decades, but he is a ‘Man of the Rás’ himself; his first introduction to the event was suffering in the bunch, just like everyone who has ever ridden it.
He first rode the Rás in 1959 and raced until 1972, before dedicating himself to organising the event, succeeding Joe Christle in the late 1970s. Dignam guided Rás Tailteann’s transformation into a professional‑level stage race, securing key sponsors and expanding its international profile.
He retired in 2012, capping a 34‑year tenure that saw the race grow from a national fixture to a UCI Europe Tour event. His encyclopedic knowledge of every county road and corner, combined with his tireless work behind the scenes, shaped the Rás into the premier spectacle it is today.
Dignam was inducted into the Cycling Ireland Hall of Fame, for his work on Rás Tailteann but also for playing a key role in bringing together the different components that made up cycling in Ireland at a sensitive period in our history.
He became secretary of the NCA and president in 1987 and was central in bringing about the unification of Irish cycling as a member of the Irish Cycling Tripartite Committee that negotiated that reunification.
He was also a member of the first board of Cycling Ireland in 1988. He took over the running of the Rás Tailteann in 1983 and ran it continuously until 2012.
