Kay Howard

On Saturday the village of Stamullen honour one of its most famous sons with the public unveiling of a memorial plaque in memory of the Irish cycling legend Gabriel ‘Gaybo’ Howard. Howard, who died tragically in a farm accident in 2018.

The Howard family at the unveiling on Saturday

'YouTube Video'

Irish Cycling Legend ‘Gaybo’ Howard is set to be honoured in Stamullen

From the Drogheda Independent Mon 16 Oct 2023

The village of Stamullen is to honour one of its most famous sons at 2.30pm this coming Saturday with the public unveiling of a memorial plaque in memory of Irish cycling legend Gabriel ‘Gaybo’ Howard.

Howard, who died tragically in a farm accident in 2018, was synonymous with the sport of cycling in Meath and indeed throughout Ireland and beyond.

Kay Howard, Nicholas Roche and 'Gaybo' Howard

Having ended a successful racing career which garnered victories including the longest stage of the 1965 Ras Tailteann, the Stamullen man continued his involvement with cycling, and indeed the Rás, long after he hung up his wheels.

He formed Stamullen Road Club in 1983 and, driving a minibus full of teenagers right across Ireland, as well as to races in the UK and France, Howard nurtured a new crop of riders from the area, with the east Meath club producing several national champions over the next decades.

And 40 years after Gaybo’s own Rás stage win, Stamullen produced another home-grown Rás stage winner in Bill Moore.

With Stamullen Road Club thriving on the racing front, Howard wanted to give back to the sport and came into his own as a race organiser, regularly running the classic Stamullen Grand Prix, the Brendan Carroll Memorial, Garristown Grand Prix, Monie and Pat Nolan Memorials and several other events, and he brought the prestigious National Road Race Championships to his home village in 2002.

Two legends Sean Kelly and 'Gaybo' Howard at the start of the An Post Ras in Dunboyne

Having completed no fewer than 22 Rás Tailteanns, upon his retirement from racing Howard stepped into the role of Neutral Service Driver on the race he loved, and the Stamullen man didn’t miss an edition of the race in 55 years. He was also well-known as a commentator at domestic races, including the National Road Race Championships, and also commentated on the Tour de France when it began in Ireland in 1998.

In 1975 he completed a solo charity ride from Gormanston Beach on the east coast to Salthill in Galway in the west, and back the same day, to raise money to build a new community hall in Stamullen - despite having completed yet another Ras with a broken wrist a few days earlier.

It was the beginning of a long commitment to raising funds for his local community and others.

In 2012, Howard’s lifelong dedication to his sport and community was recognised when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Drogheda Independent Sport Star of the Year Awards. He was honoured with life membership of Cycling Ireland in 2016 and was posthumously inducted into the Cycling Ireland Hall of Fame after his untimely death in 2018.



Gabriel will be remembered by his club and community on Saturday at 2.30pm when a memorial plaque will be unveiled just up from St Patrick’s Church in Stamullen, with refreshments served afterwards in Whyte’s Bar and Lounge and plenty of cycling chat promised.

The Howard family and the community of Stamullen invite all those who knew Gaybo to his final tribute in Stamullen, with club colours encouraged.



Read more here in the Irish Independent click here

Read our tribute to 'Gaybo' click here