The revived Dun Laoghaire Grand Prix is the big attraction on Sunday. The event was first held in 1949 and then became the highlight of a week of cycling activities in the area. It was discontinued after 1963 because permission could no longer be obtained to close the busy roads.

Mark Scanlon won last year's race which was held on a July evening but this time it's a Sunday afternoon race over 56 miles starting at two o'clock.

There will be just be a rolling closure for the first six miles which will take in most of the circuit used 50 years ago, when it was a handicap. That will be from Crofton Road up York Road and along Clonkeen Road to Cabinteely and Johnstown Road.

Then after the run down Sallynoggin Road and Glenageary Road there will be a sharp turn right at the People's Park for 22 laps of a closed circuit of over 21/2 miles down Glasthule Road and back along the seafront by the baths and the ferry terminal with the finish on Marine Road.

There is a prize fund of £2,000 with the list going down to the first 20 to finish and there will be lap prizes each time around so it should be a spectacular affair.

Eugene Moriarty, who was third in the championship, will be missing. The Listowel man is competing in the American international classic series of races at Wisconsin.

Starting tomorrow there are events for the next 16 days around the State ranging from short circuit criteriums over 40 and 50 miles at Greendale and Whitnell Park to tough road races of up to 110 miles at Holy Hill.

Moriarty will be back on July 26th and then he goes to the Tour of the Cotswolds on August 1st. Also selected on the Ireland team for that assignment are the new champion Tommy Evans, Ciaran Power, Philip Cassidy, Paddy Moriarty and David O'Loughlin.

National team director Richie Beatty said he is going to tomorrow's ICF Board meeting to raise the important matter of funding for teams for forthcoming important engagements. First there is the European under-23 championship at Lisbon on August 15th and Beatty is submitting a budget for other events leading up to the world under-23 and junior championships in Italy in October.

Because no grant was available from the Sports Council, the ICF said there was insufficient finance to send teams to the European and world championships, and also to the new B world championship at Montevideo, Uruguay, in November but Beatty said: "We would be the laughing stock of everybody in cycling around the world if we could not put a team in to defend the world junior title won by Mark Scanlon last year. The ICF should go into the red to do so if they have to."

Beatty wants to have a team in the Junior Tour in August and send members of the elite squad to the Tour of Hokkaido in Japan in September and also to the Sun Tour in Australia.