GALWAY RACECOURSE TO CLOSE FOR 2 YEARS

No chance of this happening

More chance of Pa getting a sense of humour than Galway racecourse closing for 2 years.

Absolute certainty to happen.... The people that make these decisions don't give two fukks about the Galway races....and rightly so....if the infrastructure needs improving around the city....then that's going to take precedence over the Galway races....Ascot had no problem moving to York for a year.... It's hardly outlandish to move Galway to leopardstown for 2 years....after all leopardstown is disgracefully under used anyway as is Naas and the Curragh also....

Too many people with vested interest for the races to move Paulie. When Royal Ascot is on we all hop on the train and go home maybe meeting friends afterwards but it could be 50 miles away. Galway is all about Galway too many publicans, hotels owners, restaurant owners depend on race week for their year, there would be war if it was closed for 2 years.

Very little chance of it happening. There will be far too many local and valid objections. If they pursue the route, it will be courtroom to courtroom, costing million, and not even be guaranteed the end result they want. Surely there will be a quicker, more suitable solution for all.

Paulie, I'm sure if it was just a simple race meeting, they wouldn't give two fu cks, but its not. The money generated in the immediate surrounding area is colossal and wont be allowed to be scuppered.

It cant simply be transferred to Leop. Certainly not Leop, or The Curragh. People don't go to Galway for the quality of racing, and sometimes not even for the racing at all. Leop or The Curragh don't fit that criteria. If you're not going there for the racing, you may as well stay at home.

not a hope of it happening.im surprised  at paulies view on this. galway races is about more than the racing as most people on here know.its a week of partying and revelry.the racing is almost incidental.who would go to leopardstown to look at low grade handicaps? they cant get people to go for group 1s!!

The decision to do these road improvements will be made in Brussels by people who will not know nor care about the Galway races....what is at stake here is that the whole city is getting clogged up and it needs to be alleviated ....and if that means losing the races for two years then so be it....according to some article I read the races brings 60m to the local ecconomy.... That figure is being dwarfed by the cost of poor infrastructure in the area all year round ....it's a no brainier and a certainty to happen .... It can't but happen....opinion polls taken in the locality already show an overwhelming demand for these road improvements ....now as for where there will be racing that week... That's anybody's guess ...I only suggested leopardstown because there aren't many tracks that could facilitate a 5 6 or even 7 day festival ....limerick might be a runner too....

I have to say paulie makes a valid point about infrastructure, im sure the work if needed will be done..there are ways to sort it without missing galway for 2 yrs..maybe one?..but until plans are put in then who knows..

But even if the decision is made Paulie, it will be appealed, re appealed and so on. It will end up in the European Courts, but all that is going to take a lot of time, and money. So if there is another way, which might not be Plan A but can be put into place quicker and at less cost, then it will be explored.

DKW will be at the forefront of the protest marches!!

Where is gant when you need him? He would know this stuff or he would be able to ring a family member in the Dail.

better than the high ranking gaa officials down at the gaels clubhouse rocket!?!!?

If Galway out - keep it in the west I say...Ballinrobe or Sligo. Great scenery ,golf ,fishing, WAW etc.

Callitascuit....who do you appeal to?...these things are in black and white... If they want to do a road and your house is in the way...well then they are knocking it and that's it...it's not that long ago they came and took away the sprint track in leopardstown ....they did it irregardless of any protestation from racing people ....at the end of the day not many people care about racing.... Galway will be closed .... Mark my words ...

not a hope paulie.too much money involved for everyone.

Its not just racing people that will appeal though Paulie. Yes it may turn out to be a positive for the city in the long term, but if you have a family run business down there, race week will be pivotal to most peoples survival. I know Galway is a damn busy spot year round, but race week is its bonanza, and to plan without that for two years.....then the good it does long term, will be of no use to some, as they will have gone to the wall.

All these people will have cases, and together will mount a formidable challenge to any initial decision.

Its very different to what happened at Leop. That really only solely affected the racecourse itself. It doesn't any real dependants.

...have any...

lets be honest the on course bookies would be decimated if it went.also the tote .id say bookies turnover for galway alone is a huge % of total yearly turnover.there will be lobbying of various groups,objections,counter objections,alternative plans,etc etc ..all the hotels are booked up for the week at inflated prices.all the pubs clubs etc are jammed for the week.where theres big money involved a way will be found.while racing in general is minority galway races is a national institution.and another danger would be if it went for 2 years it mightnt return as good as people will not have experienced it for 3 years....

Time will tell I suppose ...but I know what outcome I'd like to have my money on....

In a perfect world, when do they propose getting this started??

The reason Leopardstown lost their sprint track is they never objected,the compensation was so good the greedy Racing Board snaffled it.

The fact the racecourse was almost gifted to them didnt bother them,the reason it was handed over for half nothing was to preserve the racecourse not for those greedy so and so to cash in.

I would bet tens on Galway won't close.

The fact that someone somewhere is planning to spend 750 million on projects rejigging Galway is a bit mind boggling .  No doubt its associated with Euro handouts  , and when I see roads in various underpopulated places all over Europe I wonder about value for money . Spain is a good example , they have good roads / infrastructure , partly because roads dont deteriorate there due to climatic conditions . They had good roads , now they have motorways parallel to the good roads , few use the motorways ( tolls) , anyway the "subsidary" roads could cope with twice as much traffic even without the motorways .

I am not particularly familiar with roads around Galway  city, any time I am driving near Galway I have avoided city centre  , and the ring roads have always seemed adequate for traffic other than what might occur occasionally in some situations . Most roads in the West of Ireland have little enough traffic , landing an aircraft on the better ones would cause few traffic problems from what I have experienced on normal traffic days .

The need for massive spend and upheaval may suit some people , no doubt it would provide huge employment for a few years , but measured against disturbance I would take a lot of convincing that 750 million could  not be better or more frugally spent .

That the institution of the racecourse could be adversely affected for 2 years plus is another argument against change , and invariably there is a better way to facilitate "infrastructure" .  Hitler was good on infrastructure and roads --he just drew straight lines on maps and people saluted  . Surely the people of Galway have enough sensible heads among them to obviate some of the worse excesses of the planners .

Galway Bay fm newsroom – Galway could be without a race meeting for two years if the proposed city bypass cuts through the Ballybrit facility.

The manager of Galway Racecourse says a bypass route through the racecourse would have a ‘drastic effect,’ and could see the 150th summer racing festival cancelled in 2019.

Four of the six proposed bypass routes would affect the racecourse.

John Moloney says the drainage system that operates at the facility would be disrupted if the new route was to cut into the course.

He says Ballybrit could end up with a lake instead of a racecourse.

ARUP consultants who are leading the project say any works at the racecourse would be completed within 9 months – but John Moloney says this wouldn’t leave enough time for the Ballybrit team to prepare the course for the summer festival.

He says the surface in Galway is of a very high calibre and attracts international horses – and it may never be restored to its current state if it’s disrupted.

The Galway races summer festival is worth 60 million euro to Galway city and county, is Ireland’s largest racing festival and the 4th largest in the world.

John Moloney says the whole Irish racing industry is appalled that any disruption to Galway Racecourse would even be considered.
- See more at: http://racecaller.com/horse-racing-forum/general-horse-racing-chat/galway-ra...

There isnt a snowballs chance in hell of Galway races not taking place even for one year.