Bid to fence off part of Curragh plains as gallops for Kildare greyhound owners is condemned

A proposal  has been made to fence off a section of the Curragh plains to create a facility to train greyhounds.

It came from a local politician who stated that apart from a greyhound racing venue in the town, there are two coursing clubs in the Newbridge area.

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Independent councillor and Newbridge resident Tom McDonnell said many greyhound trainers and owners bring their dogs there but “it can be dangerous” when other dog owners turn up with their pets, because the greyhounds “are strong“ even if they’re muzzled.

He said there are  many greyhound owners and breeders in the area and he proposed sectioning off a section of the plains to create a greyhound gallops.

He pointed out that the Curragh plains consist of 5,000 acres of land.

Cllr McDonnell further pointed out, at a Kildare County Council meeting, that two racehouse gallops exist on the Curragh.

However, Cllr Chris Pender came out against the proposal and said there are animal rights concerns surrounding the greyhound industry and 6,000 dogs are killed annually because they don’t meet the standards of the sport.

He stated the industry received €19.5m in grant aid from the government last October. He said Cllr McDonnell's plan "would be a step back."

Instead, he said, other recreation amenities should be created by KCC for the community.

Cllr Pender's fellow Social Democrats councillor Nuala Killeen described greyhound racing as “a discredited industry” and said the 6,000 dogs are killed annually "for not being fast enough.”

Cllr McDonnell disputed the comments and countered that the animals are very well looked after. He said he has met 3,000 greyhound owners  who take great care of their dogs. He said he had witnessed no mistreatment and the value of employment created by the industry has exceeded the value of grants received.

KCC official Eoghan Ryan said the Curragh is managed by the Department of Defence and it is not for KCC to specify what activities take place there. He also said KCC cannot provide land for “every activity out there.”

Mr Ryan told the meeting there are no surplus lands owned by KCC that are available for community, recreation and amenity use or for greyhound gallops. 

“Any lands intended for this use are already allocated or are in the process of being developed for amenity use.”

Mr Ryan said providing facilities for greyhounds is “akin to doing this” for horse racing, horse sports or indeed field sports, “which we have no history of providing (in Kildare)”. The provision of greyhound gallops is a matter for greyhound owners and Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI), he said.

Independent councillor Ger Dunne said KCC should focus on creating a dog park where owners could let their pets off the lead.