Irish Greyhound Racing Tracks

Clonmel Greyhound Stadium

Davis Rd, Raheen, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, E91 EC43, Ireland | Website

Racing at Clonmel has been happening since 1931, which makes it one of the oldest and most iconic tracks in Ireland. The site is located in Clonmel, obviously, which is based in County Tipperary, towards the south of the country. Racing takes place on a Friday and Saturday night, with it creating a massive attraction for both locals and tourists to enjoy the delights of the track.

The track id famed for host three of the biggest races Ireland. These include the National Produce Stakes, the Oaks and the St Leger. Interestingly, all three of these races have been running since the 1930’s, which make them three of the longest running races in the country as well.

The track actually closed for some time from 1998 following a dispute over pay and the lease of the land. It wasn’t reopened until 2003 after the Davis Road Greyhound Company took control and eventually invested over €1million to knock down the old, ageing grandstand and replace it with a brand new one, a move that proved to be a massively popular with the local community and has seen the track soar once again since.

Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium

Curraheen Rd, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland | Website

Racing in Cork has been a long tradition, dating back to 1928. But, there have been a number of venues where the races have ben hosted, including the Cork Greyhound Stadium and the Western Road Stadium. These two sites have been developed into university buildings, so it’s now upon the shoulders of the Curraheen Park Stadium to offer greyhound racing throughout the county od Cork.

The track has only been about since 2000, so it’s still very new in the grand scheme of things. The sale of the old track paved the way for the Irish Greyhound Board to create this new stadium at a cost of €8.5million. The new track is easily one of the best dog racing facilities in Ireland and likely one of the best in Europe.

The Laurels is probably the most well-known race that is currently run at Curraheen and has been win by the likes of Sonic Flight, Ardkil Jamie and Razldazl Rioga over the years. But, in 2017 they were awarded the prestigious Grand National race, which has been running since 1928 and awarded after it was moved from Harold’s Cross Stadium in Dublin.

Dundalk Stadium

Racecourse Rd, Dowdallshill, Dundalk, Co. Louth, A91 FFP3, Ireland | Website

Dundalk is one of the most popular greyhound racing tracks in Ireland. It’s quite unique in that they offer both horse racing and greyhound racing on the site, which is one of very few in the world to do so. But, it’s ability to offer this is mainly because it was only built in 2003, so they were purposely able to then set up the design to accommodate both.

The looks of Dundalk are simply stunning, and you wouldn’t argue if someone told you that this was set up in rich-land of Dubai or somewhere like that, such is the stunning architecture and looks right around the course. The cost of the project was €35million and whilst a lot of money, seems good value given how much support the track seems to get from the modern grandstand, elevated views and the plethora of bars and restaurants on site.

The Dundalk International is probably the biggest race of the year and this is actually a prestigious invitational event that attracts some of the biggest and best dogs in the country. The purse of €20,000 ensures that the best attend and with have seen some amazing races since it was first run in 1968.

Enniscorthy Greyhound Stadium

Show Grounds New Ross Road, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Ireland | Website

It’s probably fair to say that Enniscorthy is one of the smaller greyhound locations in Ireland. The track is found within County Wexford, which itself is not known to be one of the bigger counties in the country. Nonetheless, it includes racing on a Monday and Thursday evening, with it offering up a wide range of race sin terms of distances from 350 yards up to 600 yards, with everything in between.

The track has been open since 1933 and was one of the earliest sporting venues within the county at the time. Racing at Enniscorthy has seen some of the biggest names in greyhound racing take part and whilst it may seem a small, sleepy type of venue, it’s actually been able to host the best dogs over the years. These have included the likes of Mile Bush Pride and Palms Printer, who both began their careers on the track.

In terms of racing, they are able to boast multiple standout events, which includes the Grand Prize, the Leinster Puppy Cup, Wexford Leger and more recently the Future Champion Unraced Stake.

Galway Greyhound Stadium

31 College Rd, Galway, H91 P2N2, Ireland | Website

Galway has been one of Ireland’s leading greyhound tracks since it opened its doors back in 1927. The track is unique in that it offers a wide range of sports at the multi-purpose ground, but is just as famed for hosting rugby union as it is greyhound racing. The site is home to the Connacht Rugby Club, who play games in the Pro14 and then again in European competitions.

The ground is leased by the Irish Greyhound board, but they then co-lease in turn with Connacht who are then able to work between them to plan in racing and rugby fixtures for the season ahead. Typically, racing takes place every Friday and Saturday evenings, which works well due to the fact that most rugby matches are played early on a Saturday.

The ground is able to host over 9,000 when temporary seating is brought in for higher profile rugby matches, but when it comes to greyhound acing, this number is usually less than 1,000, with the ability to increase as they see fit.

The feature race at Galway is that of the Champion Bitch Stakes, which has been won by some of the best bitches that have raced in Irish greyhound history.

Kilcohan Park Greyhound Stadium

Old Tramore Road, Waterford, Ireland | Website

Kilcohan is able to boast to be one of prettiest towns in Ireland. It’s situated within Waterford in the province of Munster and is able to take advantage of coastal views and some sublime scenery. The dog track is very much the same and whilst isn’t the biggest by any means, is one of most impressive in terms of the facilities.

The track is one that has developed from a football stadium, originally for Waterford Football Club back in 1930, to that of a greyhound racing track, enjoying events twice a week on a Friday and Saturday night. Waterford eventually moved out in 1993 and since then has been able to work exclusively with greyhound racing, mainly due the supervision of the Irish Greyhound Board who took over the venue in 2002 and invested over €3.5million in facilities to bring it up to scratch.

The Waterford Glass Stakes is probably the biggest race of the season at the course and has been running since 1965, more notably as the Gain Feeds Select Stakes.

Kilkenny Greyhound Stadium

St. James park, Talbot's Inch Village, Jamespark, Kilkenny, R95 AP92, Ireland | Website

Kilkenny has enjoyed greyhound racing at the site since 1946 and with it has grown to become one of Ireland’s premier race tracks. The track is based in north-west Kilkenny, which itself is in the South East of the country and often referred to as one of the most idyllic places to visit in Ireland. In fact, as a result they get a lot of tourism into the town, which does have an effect on racing, which takes place on a Wednesday and Friday evening.

St James’ Park, which is where the track is based, is actually a huge sporting area, that includes football pitches and even Gaelic football pitches as well. Whilst greyhound racing is probably the biggest of sports, it’s definitely an area of the city that is buzzing throughout each day of the week, as there is always something going on.

The track itself is one that has been described as good for gallopers given that its 525 yards in length, but also quite tight which can be tricky for the dogs to navigate around the corners. The track is one that is a benefactor of a close community and often it’s this community that has kept them going over the years. In fact, it’s still supported strongly by that of the Kilkenny Track Supporters Club, who have been doing so now for over 25 yeas in order to ensure that the track stays around for generations to come.

Kingdom Greyhound Stadium

Brewery Rd, Cloonalour, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland | Website

The Kingdom track can be found in the south west of Ireland in County Kerry. The course is the southernmost greyhound track in the country and whilst tucked away, is another that is well supported by the locals and the little tourism that does come their way, mainly in the summer months.

Although the track has been about since 1930, it’s been the benefactor of not only some much-needed funding from the Irish Greyhound Board, but also some fantastic architectural work to create what has to be one of the best-looking tracks in the country. The glass front offers great views and angles of the race, with it creating hospitality and dining areas that have really transformed the way that race is watched at the track.

No longer are the Friday and Saturday night meetings scattered with hardened locals, but now include a huge range of demographics who are able to enjoy a quality night out in stunning facilities. As a result, races such as the Juvenile Classic and Race of Champions have been introduced and quickly established as potential future classics in Irish greyhound racing.

Lifford Greyhound Stadium

Ballyduff Rd, Lifford, Co. Donegal, Ireland | Website

Lifford’s track has been about since 1959 and with it is one very few tracks that are currently hosted in Northern Ireland. The track is located in County Donegal and with it has a great history of racing there, widely considered be one of the most atmospheric tracks anywhere in Ireland.

The course has been set up to include a number of quality races over the years, including the likes of the Irwin Cup and the Abraham David Trophy, to name just a couple. They’ve also enjoyed watching some great names of the sport really find tehri feet, including Yellow Printer, who began as just a puppy at the track before going on to win several major races throughout Ireland and the UK.

The track has always been a family run place, with the Magee family finally putting it up for sale in 1991 after 32 years of ownership. It didn’t actually sell until 2001 when Willie, Hugh and Patrick Duffy came in with the funds to not only purchase the tack, but also invest much needed funds into the redevelopment. In fact, the bill came to just over €12million, which included a new grandstand, new restaurants and a better racing platform for both punters and the dogs.

Limerick Greyhound Stadium

Greenpark, Dock Rd, Limerick, Ireland | Website

Markets Field was the original home of greyhound racing in Limerick, with its first race being run in 1937. The track saw a huge amount of success over the years and the grounds were well known for hosting a number of sports included football, rugby and Gaelic games. But, with little investment and a lack of any future plans it was decided that a new stadium needed to be found.

The current site has been moved to Green park and in 200 8plans were set afoot to open the new racing venue. The course was eventually opened in 2010 after €18million was invested. The track opened with 2,900 in attendance, with private hospitality suites, gallery and bars all in place.

The tack is probably most famed for being host of the St Leger, one of the biggest greyhound races in the country. It’s been running since 1932 and moved across from the old site to the new when constriction work was completed. Another notable race that is currently run at the track is that of the Kirby Memorial Stakes. Even though it’s only been running since 2013, famous horse racing trainer J.P. McManus helped fund over €80,000 in prize money, making one of the richest in the world.

Longford Greyhound Stadium

Park Rd, Glack, Longford, Ireland | Website

Longford has been about since 1939 and in that time has been able to cement itself as one of Ireland’s premier dog tracks. The track is located just a short walk from the town of Longford, which means that it’s become highly popular with locals. Meeting take place on a Monday and Friday evening, designed to offer a bit of a party night for the Friday, but a more race-focussed night on the Monday.

The track itself is a 485 yard circumference and plays host to that of the Longford Derby and the Longford Puppy Derby, two of the biggest races of the year. They’ve also previously been able to host the Padian Cup and the Smithwicks 550 and whilst these have both now moved on, highlight just how special the track has been over the years.

Even though a number of successful meetings are held each year, the committee still has to work extremally hard to make sure that the course remains open. The support that they receive from local sponsorship and the local community is one of the many reasons why Longford is one of the most cherished race tracks in the country.

Newbridge Greyhound Stadium

Cornelscourt, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland | Website

Newbridge Greyhound stadium is located in County Kildare, just a few miles south of the country’s capital, Dublin. Because of its location it’s one of a number of tracks that benefit from being just a short commuter ride to Dublin and in turn are able to see a good number of people leaving the city in order to hunt down a decent greyhound racing track.

The track has a huge debt to be paid to that of the Cox Cup, which is the biggest race held at Newbridge. It’s allowed punters to see some of the best dogs in Ireland compete, including that of Ardfert Mick, who actually went on to break the track record in 1991, although this has been broken since.

Newbridge, like so many greyhound racing tracks in Ireland has continued to struggle financially, but what’s been impressive is that the little money that have been able to pull together they have been able to invest into the track. The track even closed for a number of years between 2011 and 2013, before IGB stepped in, taking control of the track and reopening once again.

Shelbourne Park Greyhound Stadium

S Lotts Rd, Dublin 4, Ireland | Website

There are few more popular greyhound tracks in the world than Shelbourne Park, let alone in Ireland. The stadium has taken pride of place near Dublin’s dockland and as a result see’s a massive number of people from within the city attend meetings throughout the week.

The track was opened in 1927 following the success of Celtic Park, located in Belfast. Upon opening there were just 4 resident trainers, with that number now increased tenfold. As a result, some amazing dogs have been able to bread on site and now is strongly linked as one of the premier breeding grounds for greyhounds in the country.

Shelbourne Park has the biggest number of major races in the country, which include races such as the Irish Greyhound Derby, Champion Stakes, Easter Cup, Grand National, Juvenile Derby, McAlinden Cup, Oaks, Shelbourne Gold Cup, Shelbourne 600 and the St Leger, to name just a few on this astonishing list.

The course has also played host to other sports over the years as well, such as football, with Shelbourne FC playing there until 1949. Interestingly, it was also the track that appeared on Top Gear, when Richard Hammond raced a greyhound around the track in a Mazda MX5.

Youghal Greyhound Stadium

S Abbey, Claycastle, Youghal, Co. Cork, Ireland | Website

There are few better looking tracks in Ireland than Youghal, mainly because of its seaside location, but also stunning panoramic views which are accentuated on a clear day. The site has been open since 1948 and, as they are based ion County Cork, are one of Ireland’s southernmost greyhound racing tracks.

Meetings take place on the rack on Tuesday and Friday nights, with some of the bigger races to have taken place here to include the Blackwater Cup, Paddy Stakes and the Aherne Memorial Cup. The track has seen a few improvements over the years as well, including €100,000 to improve the track in 2012 from the Irish Greyhound Board.

One of the things that Youghal are now well renowned for within the industry is the charity work that they do both on and off the track. It was reported in that in 2015 both Youghal and Curraheen Park had been able to raise over €5million for charities, an amazing feat given that these tracks barely are able to stay open due to financial restraints.