Inside Track: Louth race tracks have come and gone, but Dundalk is still in place

Last week’s mention of racing on the strand at Laytown, Blackrock and Termonfeckin prompted us to take a further look at other venues throughout Louth where the sport was practised, and, in the case of Dundalk, is still being practised.

At different times during the 1880s, but mostly around the middle of the century, tracks held their first meetings. (Dundalk raced for the first time in 1799.)

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How well these meetings were organised is anyone’s guess. Reports suggest there would have been a lot of two-horse races, and horses running maybe two or three times on the same programme.

There might also have been a bit of skulduggery among the jockeys out in the country, as they say, away from the view of the Stewards.

Racing, however, did come under a central authority, and details are listed in the excellent Sweeney Guide To The Irish Turf, published in 2001.

Racing at Ballymascanlon, Carlingford, and Haggardstown was short-lived. The latter raced in 1842 for just one year – perhaps hosting just one gathering – and it was the same with Ballymascanlon, six years later. Carlingford’s year was 1861.

Drogheda ran for 23 years and had an association with the Dowth Hunt, which was a practice at the time with many other meetings throughout the country. Dundalk, for instance, was linked with the Northern Rangers, and Mullacurry with the Louth Hunt.

And mention of Mullacurry: It had the longest life after Dundalk. The first meeting held at the mid-Louth venue was in 1859, the last just one year off what would have been its centenary, 1958.

Unlike most other places, Mullacurry had a stand for spectators, and when the track closed, the structure was dismantled and rebuilt in Oriel Park.

It stood where the Shed now is, and when its denizens weren’t banging on its galvanised surround to make maximum noise, they were singing, “We all live in the Mullacurry Stand”, giving a nod to Ringo Starr.

My historian friend, Paul, said recently that there was a major fair at Mullacurry many, many years ago, but doesn’t know if the races were part of it, or if they came later.

The Mullacurry races would have had opposition from Dunleer. It ran for almost fifty years, from 1844 to 1893, and like others, its location is probably now covered in houses.

Dundalk has certainly stood the test to time, though the site where horses raced back in 1799 was far removed from where now stands the country’s only all-weather track.

Indeed, it’s more than likely there were many other venues before the present one was settled upon in 1889, with several different committees overseeing proceedings.

The association with the Northern Rangers would suggest there was strong army influence, the sport enjoyed mostly by the gentry.

The founding fathers and those who succeeded them, could not have envisaged racing at Dowdallshill being what it is today.

Such is trainer and owners’ need to have all-weather racing, the track stages more meetings per year than any other in the country, and has surroundings and facilities to match the very best.

And whereas for many years the infield staged coursing meetings, now there is greyhound racing.

Following the highly successful meetings on July 12 and August 15, Dundalk has the first of its many winter season gatherings at the end of this month, racing mostly taking place on Friday nights.