Greenpark Racecourse

Greenpark Racecourse was a horse racing venue in Limerick, Ireland.

In 1963 the venue was used by Limerick mayor Frances Condell to host a reception for U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on his visit to Ireland.[1][2] At the venue in 1979, Irish runner John Treacy won gold at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships[3] and a stage of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland was held here.[4]

Due to flooding problems, increasing traffic congestion and a limited fixture list it was decided in the mid 1990s to find a new venue for horse racing in Limerick.[5] A suitable location was identified at Greenmount near Patrickswell and the land was purchased in 1996. The course at Greenpark closed in 1999 after 130 years of racing.[6] The last race meeting at the venue took place on Sunday 21 March 1999.[7] The final ever horse race run at the Greenpark Racecourse was the Finucane Electrical I.N.H. Flat Race (a bumper) over two miles. It was won by the Arthur Moore trained 'Well Ridden' on his racecourse debut.[8] This horse was owned by well known judge Frank Clarke and went on to win five further races in his career including the prestigious Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup at Leopardstown.[9]

11 acres of the racecourse site were sold to the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) in 2008 to build the new Limerick Greyhound Stadium which opened in October 2010.[10] There have been numerous attempts to develop the site for residential purposes but none have been realised[11] Most recently in June 2017 a plan for 26 houses was rejected by An Bord Pleanála[12]

References
  1. "Mayor Frances Condell's welcome to John F Kennedy 1963". Limerick Leader. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  2. "Limerick - Timeline - JFK Homecoming". JFK Homecoming Website. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  3. "RTÉ Archives - Sports - John Treacy World Cross Country Championship". Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Broadcaster. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  4. "Reverence at the racecourse". Limerick Leader. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  5. "Race project to put city track among the leaders". Irish Times. 3 June 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  6. "History of Limerick Racecourse". Limerickraces.ie. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  7. "Racecourse in Limerick to close". Irish Times. 29 January 1999. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  8. "Race Result Limerick, Sunday, 21st March, 1999". irishracing.com. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  9. "Full Result 1.05 Leopardstown, Sunday, 21st January, 2001". Racing Post. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  10. "Deal comes back to bite Greyhound Board". Irish Examiner. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  11. "After years lying vacant, a historic Limerick racecourse site has fresh plans scuppered". Fora.ie. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  12. "Developer unimpressed with 'poor call' on Limerick housing development". Limerick Leader. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.


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