BALLINROBE Racecourse continues to make significant developments to improve the track’s sustainability, following the installation of solar panels in July 2024.

Solar PV panels, installed by WestQuay Energy, on the grandstand roof mean the Co Mayo venue now has the capacity to produce circa 41,700kWh per year. “We want to become self-sufficient in electricity,” Ballinrobe Racecourse manager John Flannelly explained.

“It probably wasn’t the best year for it, as there was a lot of cloud and it wasn’t as sunny as usual, but we’re still happy with it.”

Ballinrobe Racecourse won the Racecourse Award at the 2024 Irish Thoroughbred Employee Industry Awards, supported by Godolphin, and the prize money received was directly invested into the construction of a new state-of-the-art stable staff restaurant.

Aptly named ‘The Robe’, that facility was unveiled in May 2024, but current works are focused on sustainability. Flannelly reported: “We’re going down the route of changing everything to LED – we’re doing that as we speak. We are also looking at putting in some electric chargers for cars.”

Sustainability

On the subject of sustainability, Ballinrobe Racecourse committee member Alan Daly and staff member Alanna Daly were named amongst the 12 winners of Farming for Nature’s 2024 ambassador awards towards the end of last year.

The father and daughter team are beef, sheep and forestry farmers at nearby Lough Mask Farm, which is certified organic. The farm was home to both racehorses and Connemara ponies in the past, with Alan’s late father John and grandfather Paddy supplying Connemara ponies to The Quiet Man film.

John Daly was also a successful trainer, his best horses including Desu Barker and Pongo’s Fancy, and served as a director at Ballinrobe Racecourse.