CHANCES are that your local racecourse stages 10 racedays or less during the year. So what happens there for the rest of the year?

Racecourses play a pivotal role in their communities, hosting a wide array of events that aim to benefit the local area and foster some positive collaboration. It’s important to support and celebrate the great work that they do that might go unnoticed. Here are just a few examples from a selection of our racecourses.

Limerick

Limerick Racecourse has long been the location for the annual Limerick Show, a key event in the calendars of both locals and travelling attendees.

During the pandemic, Limerick and several other tracks opened their facilities to become major vaccination centres, playing a crucial role in the public health response.

More recently, Greenmount was the chosen venue for the local city and county election vote counting centre. This highlights Limerick Racecourse’s importance not just in sports but also in civic life.

Fairyhouse

Fairyhouse Racecourse also provides community outreach through significantly diverse mediums and hosts a variety of events that serve the community in numerous ways.

It is a popular venue for the annual Darkness into Light walk for Pieta House, raising awareness and funds for mental health.

The racecourse also accommodates pony club camps for the Ward Union and Meath Pony Clubs and operates the Stepping Stones crèche, highlighting their dedication to youth services.

Moreover, it hosts the Dunboyne College graduation and a retreat for the Makki Trust each September.

The site also features a weekly market and the Stirrup Cup coffee shop, which opened in March and serves the community daily from 6am to 6pm.

Thurles

Thurles Racecourse is a family-owned track and is deeply involved with local schools, providing a venue for charity walks and other educational activities.

Last year, Thurles hosted a tractor run to support a local primary school, showcasing its commitment to education and community accessibility.

The racecourse also holds annual poc fada competitions each summer and provides facilities for Garda training courses, reinforcing its role as a versatile community asset.

Punchestown

Punchestown Racecourse is somewhat of a cornerstone of the local community, hosting a plethora of events beyond racing.

Each September, it hosts the Eadestown Field Day, a major fundraising event which features equestrian classes, a dog show, arts and crafts, and more. The Kildare and West Wicklow SPCA Dog Show is another popular fundraiser held at Punchestown.

The racecourse grounds are open to walkers, providing a valuable recreational space for the increasingly populated area. It collaborates closely with local GAA clubs Eadestown, Ballymore Eustace, and Nass to offer facilities and organising volunteer-for-funds campaigns on racedays.

Punchestown regularly welcomes local schools and overseas university groups for interactive tours, providing educational insights into the world of horseracing.

During elections, Punchestown’s event centre often serves as a count centre as well as being a flagship HSE centre during the pandemic.

Its facilities are used year-round for major trade shows and events, which bring significant business to the locality.

Additionally, Punchestown is a venue for MCD concerts and festivals, further cementing its role as a key community hub.

Clonmel

Tomorrow (Sunday, July 7th) Clonmel Racecourse will host the local Agricultural Show and the track will also stage a week-long Tipperary Pony Club summer camp this month.

In May Clonmel welcomed the Vintage Car Show through its gates and the local cycling club will stage a cyclocross event there in October.

The local athletic club trains at Powerstown Park all year round, there are numerous fundraising school walks, and the track is also used by the local Brothers of Charity to bring users of its service for exercise.

Dundalk

Dundalk Stadium stages 43 fixtures per year and some of these double up as fundraising events for local clubs, raising as much as €100,000.

The track sponsors two youth football teams and donates to various sports clubs in the area.

It recently hosted a Lithuanian community event that attracted thousands of attendees, including the Lithuanian ambassador. Another event staged there recently was a truck show which attracted truck enthusiasts from all over in a bid to raise money for charity.

Last year Dundalk Stadium held a charity 5km run (on the tarmac ambulance road) which raised money for a local man who became disabled after falling off his bicycle.

Naas

Naas hosts a park run every Saturday and is another ‘Darkness into Light’ charity run venue each year.

It will host ‘Taste of Kildare’ for the first time in September and the track also stages several dog shows annually, along with Treo Eile (retired racehorses) parades and a military show.

Naas sponsors jerseys for five local sports teams and supports several charities including Hurling for Cancer and the Coast To Curragh cycle.

Roscommon

Athletics is the major non-raceday activity at Roscommon Racecourse. Up to 1,000 children take part in the annual schools cross-country competitions there, and the facility is also used by Connacht Athletics for their junior and senior cross-country events.

The track also hosts the Roscommon County Hurling poc fada competition.