Tosh Lavery is very well known in racing circles and has landed a deal with one of Ireland's biggest publishers to pen a memoir. Seen here leading a recent IVCA event (Photo: Brendan Culleton)
Well known cyclist Tosh Lavery has secured a publishing deal to write his life story.
The book, entitled ‘Tosh’, will be published by Penguin next year.
It is being written with Ger Cromwell, the ghost writer behind Nicolas Roche’s award-winning “Inside the Peloton”.
Lavery took up cycling in his 30s but emerged as a very strong rider who won a string of races, including national road and time trial titles.
He is a former member of the Garda and much of the new book will chronicle his career in the force.
He spent most of his working life in the Garda Sub Aqua Unit, where he was a sergeant in charge of a team of divers; a life that will make for a compelling story.
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The job saw him involved in some of the biggest search operations in the history of the force; from missing person’s searches to diving the seas around Ireland looking for the remains of lost fishermen.
As well as the high profile trawler disaster searches, Lavery was involved in the search to recover bodies when the Betelgeuse oil tanker exploded in west Cork in 1979 at the offshore jetty of the Whiddy Island Oil Terminal.
The explosion claimed 50 lives with 27 bodies recovered from the water by the team including Lavery.
In the same year, when Lord Mountbatten was killed by the Provisional IRA, who placed a bomb in his fishing boat at Mullaghmore, Co Sligo; Lavery was involved in the search for the dead.
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Lavery, second from right, with other members of the Garda Sub Aqua Unit carrying their inflatable boat in the days long before health and safety. His documenting his role in the Garda from such a unique angle should lead to a fascinating book.
And he also worked, among many other cases, on the searches when Brendan O’Donnell kidnapped and then murdered Imelda and her young son Liam Riney along with Fr Joe Walsh in rural Co Galway in 1994.
Lavery joined the forced in 1972 aged 18 years having grown up in Waterford.
He was among a large class of recruits hired to increase Garda numbers in the face of increasing terrorism at the time and was first stationed to the border.
He joined the Sub Aqua Unit two years later, remaining with it until his retirement in 2004.
He took up cycling aged 36 years and rode five Rásanna, the last of which in 2000 when aged 47 years.
He spent his cycling career riding in the colours of Garda CC and continues to ride the Irish Veteran Cyclists' Association races.
He was national vets’ road race champion in 1993 and won the 10 and 25 mile time trial crowns four years later.
He won a series of open races during his career including three Phoenix Park ‘gallops’, the Dublin-Drogheda and races in Dunlavin, Bohermeen and Enniskillen.
His book, which is set for publication next spring, will deal with his early years, personal life and his time cycling and working as a Garda all over the Republic.
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