Fay Taylour – ‘The World’s Wonder Girl’ | Season 6 – Episode 2

Описание: 👋 Hey followers! In this episode we share another story from contributor Brian Manning on Fay Taylour, one of the most formidable women in early international motorsport and winner of the first Leinster Trophy at Skerries in 1934. Her global career spanned four continents, yet her enduring fascist and antisemitic beliefs and wartime internment cast a long shadow over her achievements.

We are Ireland Made® the Irish transport archive.

Our mission is to collect and preserve stories of Irish transport past and present for the benefit of our future generations.

ANGLO-IRISH ROOTS
Helen Frances “Fay” Taylour was born on 5 April 1904 in Birr, County Offaly, into an Anglo-Irish Ascendancy family. Following Irish independence her father relocated to England, while Fay remained in Ireland to complete her education at Alexandra College in Dublin.

SPEEDWAY
Using prize money from school, Taylour bought her first motorcycle and began competing in British trials and speed events. Her breakthrough came in speedway racing, then England’s second most popular spectator sport in the late 1920s..

Taylour quickly distinguished herself. She mastered broadsliding techniques and even set a lap record at Wembley Stadium - branded “The Speedway Queen"..

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION & EXCLUSION
In 1928 Taylour toured Australia, racing in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Her momentum was abruptly halted in 1930 when the Auto Cycle Union banned women from all forms of two-wheeled motorsport.

TURNING TO FOUR WHEELS
Taylour switched to cars and won her first race at Brooklands in 1931. Her defining triumph came in 1934, winning the inaugural Leinster Trophy at Skerries. Driving an Adler for Irish importer Robert Briscoe, she mastered the 13-mile public road circuit with careful preparation and sharp race craft.

Taylour prevailed, securing £50 prize money and a replica trophy. The win remains one of the most significant achievements by a female driver in pre-war Irish motorsport.

GERMANY & POLITICAL EXTREMISM
After Skerries, Taylour spent more time in Germany, visiting the Adler factory and cultivating links with senior Nazi motorsport figures and drawing the attention of British intelligence.

INTERNMENT & AFTERMATH
Back in England in May 1940 Taylour was arrested as part of a mass roundup of suspected sympathisers and internees. Held in Holloway Prison, she refused to sign a loyalty declaration and was detained for over three years. After her release she was deported to Dublin and monitored by Irish security services.

FINAL YEARS & LEGACY
After the war Taylour moved to the United States, working in Los Angeles selling Jaguars, including the first XK120 bought by Clark Gable. She raced sprint cars into her fifties, but her politics repeatedly blocked sponsorship and career opportunities.

Financial insecurity dogged her final decades. Many personal papers and trophies were lost, though surviving correspondence later informed Stephen Cullen’s biography. Fay Taylour died in 1983.

She was one of the most versatile and naturally gifted drivers of her era. Her sporting achievements were extraordinary, but her ideological convictions ensured that her legacy would remain deeply conflicted and permanently contested.

++

Due to social media space limits, this is a condensed extract from Brian Manning’s 3,000-word story. Read the full version at www.irelandmade.ie

Part two is coming soon, exploring Fay Taylour’s racing career and her years with Adler.

++

Story by Brian Manning

Brian, a biotechnology professional and motorsports enthusiast, officiated his 40th Formula One event at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. His interest in motor racing history led him to identify errors in the Leinster Trophy's record. He received the 2023 RIAC Dudley Reynolds Award for preserving Irish motor racing history. Brian moved from Dublin in 1992, lived in Paris and London and settled in the USA in 1996. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children.

If you have an idea for a story, email Kevin Reid at [email protected]

Dennison Trailers support our website, but rising travel expenses remain our biggest challenge. With your help – €2 a month via www.irelandmade.ie – we can stay on the road preserving Ireland’s transport heritage.

Sources of Information, Photo & Video Credits:
1934 Skerries Leinster Trophy Programme - Leinster Trophy History Facebook page
Evening Herald 1935
Evening Press – July 16th, 1935
Fay Taylour – ‘The World’s Wonder Girl’ – A Life at Speed - By Stephen M. Cullen by Pen & Sword Books Ltd.
Flying Fay's fast-paced life. The remarkable Fay Taylour, star of the race tracks – Irish Times - Hugh Oram
Kurt Hutton/Getty Images
RBS Le Fanu © RIAC Archive
Women Speed Queens (1931) – Pathé Gazette

#irelandmade #ad #irelandmadestoriesofirishtransport #leinstertrophy #faytaylour #adlercar #speedway #brianmanning

++++++++++
This video post is copyrighted© to Ireland Made® not to be copied or reproduced without permission.