THAT which had been feared for some years came to its conclusion this week.

The news broke during the week that after legal action under the Landlord and Tenancy Act had been settled out of court with the ‘trotting community’ per se having to vacate the Portmarnock track at the scheduled end of the season in December 2022.

It was common knowledge that the ground was sold around 2019 and planning permission was obtained in 2021 for a memorial park on the site which effectively made it impossible to obtain a new lease.

All is not lost however, as the IHRA did obtain an undisclosed sum as part of the settlement.

Furthermore, a statement circulated to IHRA members emphasised the existence of the Annaghmore facility, the proposed hard track at Lyre (now at planning permission stage) and a ‘unique funding model’ which is being explored but cannot be publicised due to commercial sensitivies.

The IHRA have identified a site in the Dublin region for a permanent hard track and has earmarked a field in North Dublin for some meetings in 2023.

As a lifelong follower of the sport, I have watched how the current IHRA board put harness racing into a debate in the Oireachtas, built links with LeTROT in France, staged five or so meetings at Dundalk including one which bet into a PMU pool, and many other milestones. Government is more aware than ever of harness racing and its social and economic benefits.

A funding proposal for the sport is currently under consideration with Department of Agriculture.