Mick The Miller is
the most famous greyhound of all time. He was born in 1926 in the village of Killeigh, County
Offaly, Ireland at Millbrook House, the home of parish curate, Fr
Martin Brophy. When he was born Mick was the runt of the litter but
Michael Greene, who worked for Fr Brophy, singled the
little pup out as a future champion and insisted that he be
allowed to rear him. With constant attention and regular exercise
Mick The Miller developed into a racing machine. His first
forays were on local coursing fields where he had some success
but he showed his real talent on the track where he won 15 of
his first 20
races.
In 1929 Fr Brophy decided to try Mick in English Greyhound
Derby at White City, London. On his first trial-run, Mick equalled the track record. Then, in his first heat, he broke the world
record, becoming the first greyhound ever to run 525 yards in
under 30 seconds. Fr Brophy was inundated with offers and
sold him to Albert Williams. Mick went on to win the 1929 Derby. Within a year he had
changed hands again to Arundel H Kempton and won the Derby for a
second time.
Over the course of his English career he won 36 of
his 48 races, including the Derby (twice), the St Leger, the
Cesarewitch, and the Welsh
Derby. He set six new world records and two new track records.
He was the first greyhound to win 19 races
in a row. Several of his
records went unbroken for over 40 years. He won, in total, almost
£10,000 in prizemoney. But he also became the poster-dog for
greyhound racing. He was a celebrity on a par with any sports
person, musician or moviestar. The more famous he became, the
more he attracted people to greyhound racing. Thousands
thronged to watch him, providing a huge boost to the sport. It
is said that he actually saved the sport of greyhound racing.
After retirement to stud his popularity continued. He starred in the film Wild Boy (based
on his life-story) in 1934 which was shown in cinemas all
across the UK. He was in huge demand on the celebrity circuit,
opening shops, attending big races and even rubbing shoulder
with royalty (such as the King and Queen) at charity events. When he died in 1939 aged 12, his owner donated his body to the
British Natural History Museum in London. And Mick`s fame has continued ever since. In 1981 he was inducted into the American Hall of
Fame
(International
Section). In 1990 English author Michael Tanner published a
book, Mick The Miller - Sporting Icon Of the Depression. And in
2011 the people of Killeigh erected a monument on the village
green to honour their most famous son. Mick The Miller is
not just the most famous greyhound of all time but one of the
most loved dogs that has ever lived.
*Read
more details on
Mick`s life here*
|
LATEST NEWS!
Many thanks to Offaly County Council for covering the cost of
hosting this website over the last two years (2021-2023) via
their Community Support Fund grant.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Belle Vue Stadium - Manchester
Bellu Vue Stadium is currently under threat from developers but
a petition has been organised by a group of motor sports and
greyhound racing fans to try and save it. Please follow
them on Facebook - Save Belle Vue Stadium Action Group or
Twitter - @VueSave.
The petition can also be found on www.change.org -
http://tinyurl.com/yak54c2c
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Irish Game Fair
Mick The Miller was honoured at the 2017 Birr Game Fair
which took place on 26th and 27th August at Birr Castle, Co
Offaly. The front cover of that Summer`s Country
Sports and Country Life magazine featured a painting of Mick
the Miller and Master McGrath. The painting by John R Moore was
commisioned by the Great Game Fairs of Ireland Committee to
promote the Mick The Miller race which was held at Birr
and the Master McGrath race held at Shane`s
Castle, Antrim. The Great Game Fairs Committee also generously
presented a print of the painting to the Mick The Miller
Commemoration Committee. In 2018 the Game Fair will be
held at Shane`s Castle, Co Antrim. Once again both Mick
The Miller and Master McGrath races will be held and prizes
relating to both greyhounds will be presented to the winners.
|
Rosette
This beautiful rosette was made by Peppi Greco in Florida, USA
and sent to Killeigh as a present for Mick.
|
Documentary
Irish TV (Sky Channel 191) recently filmed in
Killeigh. Here is the link (Mick the Miller piece is at 4 mins
30 secs).
http://www.irishtv.ie/offaly-matters-31 |
Wimbledon Greyhound
Stadium
For details on the proposed redevelopment of
Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium
click here
|
New Book Launch
The Mick The Miller monument was recently included in
a new book IMMORTALS
OF BRITISH SPORT - A Celebration Of Britain`s Sporting History
Through Sculpture by Ian Hewitt and Sampson Lloyd. This is
a fantastic read for anyone interested in art or sport.
Mick is featured on pages 90/91. The online version of the
book can be viewed at
Immortals Of British Sport.
|