Author to detail betting coup of 1981 in talk

Retired trainer Jim Kavanagh and Murt Malone at book's launch last year.

A talk by Kildare author Martin 'Murt' Malone on 8 October will give the background and the operation of the infamous betting coup of 1981 that began with the arrival of four new horses to a Curragh stable, writes Brian Byrne.

The talk will be from 2pm in Farrells Bookshop on Main Street Newbridge, and is free — tickets can be booked on Eventbrite.

Martin's novel Iapetus '81 is based on those events, for which he has a personal insight. The coup resulted in such a disturbance at Down Royal Racecourse that the RUC squad from the nearby Maze prison was summoned to deal with it.

Iapetus '81 is published by Owl Fella's Press. Martin Malone has seven published novels, three collections of short stories, and plays for both radio and stage to his credit.

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