Birr Vintage Pram Race, Co. Offaly, Ireland 1983

Mary FitzGerald and Aonghus McAnally take part in a pram race through Birr. The Offaly town of Birr celebrates its 15th vintage week parades, costumes, bands and cars. The week of events also includes race involving teams of two people and a pram. On each team, one contestant is dressed as ‘the mother’ and the other as ‘the baby’. Adults are dressed as babies and not all competing mothers are women. Some of the prams carry humorous signage or are decorated with a theme. Seven teams are participating in the pram race, including a team from RTÉ. Young people’s presenters Mary FitzGerald and Aonghus McAnally are competing. Mother Mary FitzGerald is the driving force behind a pram containing baby Aonghus McAnally. The race starting line is in the centre of Birr at the pillar once dedicated to the Duke of Cumberland. Here Aonghus McAnally puns, The tension is in prams instead of intense. The prams are neck and neck as the teams race past the Maid of Erin statue on Market Square. At the demesne wall of Birr Castle, it is time for the team members to swap positions and the babies take charge of steering the prams. At this point, the RTÉ duo are in last place. However, powered by his magic soother, Aonghus McAnally’s pram forges past the competitors and he and Mary FitzGerald cross the finishing line in first place. They are rewarded with a silver tankard each for their efforts. Birr Vintage Week runs from 14-17 August 1983. ‘Blockbuster’ was a television series for young people which ran during the summer of 1983. First broadcast on 8 July 1983 its brief was to “get out and about and tell what’s on offer for the freedom months of July and August” (RTÉ Guide 8 July 1983). The presenters were Mary FitzGerald, Mary Dinan, Teresa Mannion, Aonghus McAnally and Philip Irwin. This episode of ‘Blockbuster’ was broadcast on 26 August 1983. The presenters are Mary FitzGerald and Aonghus McAnally.