Aaannnd. Weeee’re. OFF! Coming up the rear is the Town and Village Renewal Scheme at €2m, neck and neck with DEIS Plus also at €2m, closely followed by the Gaelic Players Association at €1m, but way out ahead is the Horse and Greyhound Fund at a whopping €3m and… they’ve taken it! The Greyhound Racing Lobby have won! They won’t have to travel far to collect their winnings…
Last week, the Department of Agriculture raised the Horse and Greyhound fund by €3m to €102m. This money is allocated on a 4:1 basis, leaving greyhound racing with a budget of €20 million, its largest in 25 years. So, what’s behind this new interest in the dogs? What has the youth so excited? Does Olivia Rodrigo hang out down the track? Which of the Hadids livestream their gambling advice? …what’s that? Interest in greyhound racing has never been lower? Well, that can’t be right! That would make the Government’s decision seem utterly stupid at best…
Attendance at greyhound races fell 75% between 2005 and 2025, while a 2024 Norstat poll found that 70% of those surveyed wanted state-funding to be scrapped altogether. There must be a pretty good reason then for the horse and greyhound fund to be nearly €20m more than, say, the budget for CUAN – the state agency for Domestic, Sexual, and Gender-based violence.
Full column in this week’s Print & Digital Edition.
