Ireland has always been the spiritual home of road racing. From the North West 200 and Ulster Grand Prix to a rich calendar of National meetings, Irish roads have produced the sport’s greatest races and riders.

It was on these public roads, transformed each summer into racing circuits, that riders like Michael Dunlop and his uncle, Joey, would hone the racing skills that would see them become the most successful road racers of all time. Unlike the professionally funded circuits of MotoGP and the World Superbike paddock, Irish road racing remains a fiercely grassroots endeavour – run by volunteers, kept alive by passion, and staged in villages and towns where everyday life pauses for speed.

As a photographer who first discovered the sport as a boy in 1974, Stephen Davison has spent a lifetime documenting its beauty and danger. The images in these pages are a stirring tribute to the people, places and spirit of Irish road racing.