Ballybunion Greyhound Stadium

Ballybunion Greyhound Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium[1] off Sandhill Road, in Killehenny, Ballybunion, County Kerry.[2]

Ballybunion Greyhound Stadium
LocationSandhill Rd, Killehenny, Ballybunion, County Kerry, Ireland
Coordinates52°29′59.2″N 9°40′20.0″W
Opened1966
Closed1973

The west coast seaside town of Ballybunion in County Kerry had previously hosted greyhound racing from 1933-1939.[3]

History

In 1958 the president of the Irish Coursing Club, Matt O'Sullivan applied for a licence as the proprietor of a new Ballybunion track but the Bord na gCon headed by Seamus Flanagan refused the licence due to objections lodged by the nearby Tralee track. At the time any track within the same area could object to another hoping to become licensed. The licence was refused again in 1964.[4]

In January 1965, O'Sullivan (the owner of the Central Hotel in the town) finally won the right to host greyhound racing after taking the Bord na gCon to court. The court ruled that he should be granted a licence.[5]

The re-opening was on 18 May 1966[6] when the Ballybunion Greyhound Racing Club Ltd ran the venue until 1973. It hosted a valuable Smirnoff Gold Collar race from 1966-1970 worth a record £1,340 in 1967. The event was sponsored by Gilbeys of Ireland and saw two new track records set, first by Coolowen Pride in 29.66 followed by Sandy Lee in 29.52. Racing was held on Monday & Wednesday evenings at 8.30pm.[7]

The winners of the Gold Collar were - 1966 Dogstown Star, 1967 Seneca, 1968 Pools Punter and 1969 West Park Una.

Location

The site of the track was where the Green Valley caravan park is situated today.

Track records
Yards Greyhound Time Date Notes
300Lucky Blunder16.801970
300Tranquillity Sea16.7524.05.1971
525Coolowen Pride29.661967Gold Collar
525Sandy Lee29.521967Gold Collar
525Gortkelly Hope29.411970
525Tranquillity Sea29.4021.07.1971
550Pools Punter30.991970
550Barony Pride30.8822.07.1970
725Tomophas41.6524.07.1968
525 HCharlestown30.5423.08.1967

Ballybunion Gold Collar
Year Winner
1966Dogstown Star
1967Seneca
1968Pools Punter
1969West Park Una

References
  1. "Greyhound Race Track (Admission Charges) Regulations, 1967". Irish Statute Book.
  2. "Ballybunnion". Irish maps. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. p. 409. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  4. "Remember When, December 1964". Greyhound Star.
  5. "Remember When - January 1965". Greyhound Star. 2011.
  6. "Opening Night". Kennelly Archive.
  7. Bord na gCon (1967). The Blue Book of Irish Coursing and Greyhound Racing. Parkside Press Ltd. p. 93.
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