Ireland’s second city, Cork, has a great greyhound stadium in Curraheen Park that hosts some of the country’s top races. Located just to the west of the city, it was built in the year 2000 and is the third track that the city has had over the years. In the Laurels and the Grand National, it hosts two of the most prestigious events in Ireland’s racing calendar.
What’s On Offer at Curraheen Park?
Race nights are on Friday and Saturday nights and the gates open at 6.30pm with the first race at around 6.53pm. The track offers a range of restaurant options, hospitality packages and promotions for stag and hen parties.
The biggest date in the calendar is the Laurels Final night which takes place in late October. Before finals night, there are four other rounds of the competition on Friday nights over the course of the month beforehand.
What Can You Expect?
Curraheen Park is a modern stadium with good facilities that offer you a range of different nights out. You can get up close and personal by watching from the outside stand or get your own table inside the grandstand with great views, a full restaurant menu, tote betting, and bar table service
There are a number of options available to suit the experience you want. General admission costs €10 and gives you access to the ground floor and outdoor grandstand. You’ll get a race card and there are the usual bar, fast food and tote facilities to enjoy.
Punter’s Pack
If you are in a group of six or more you can pay €18 per person for the Punter’s Pack. In addition to the general admission, you get one free drink and a meal from the fast-food outlet included in the price.
Restaurant
If you want a bit more comfort and warmth you can book into the restaurant. This gives you a reserved table in the glass-fronted grandstand with the racing right outside the window or on the screens around the restaurant and stadium. Tote and bar service comes direct to your table and there are two food options.
You can order from the standard restaurant menu for which you need to make a €20 pre-payment which will be applied as a credit to your bill. Or for groups of 10 or more, you can book a Finger Food Platter package for €20 per person.
Stag & Hen Do Packages
The track promotes its offers to stag and hen dos with all of the above packages available. 10% of all restaurant packages and admission charges are donated to the Greyhound Care Fund.
How to Get There
The track is about a 15-minute drive to the west of the city at Bishoptown Road, Curraheen, County Cork, T12 HNP4. It is not particularly well connected by public transport but you can get the 205 or 208 bus routes back into the city – they stop at the University Tech Park which is about 10 minutes walk from the track.
How to Get in Touch
- Tel: – 061 448000
- Email: – pr@grireland.ie
- Twitter: – @BarkingBuzz
- Restaurant Booking: – 021 242 9200 sales@grireland.ie
What Else Do I Need to Know?
Located in Bishoptown to the west of Cork, Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium had its first race in the year 2000. It was built to replace the Cork (Western Road) Greyhound Stadium which closed in 1996 and is now part of the science school at University College Cork. Curraheen Park is, in fact, the third greyhound track in the city with the Show Grounds Greyhound Track hosting dog races from 1928 to 1935.
2000 Upgrades
Selling Western Road, gave Greyhound Racing Ireland plenty of funds and the opportunity to build a striking, new stadium. It cost IR£8.5 million and opened on 8th April 2000 with an impressive glass-fronted grandstand.
Top Dogs
The Laurels is still the premier racing competition held in Cork, having been run at the old stadium from 1944 to 1999. It is one of the most prestigious events in the Irish Calendar and is a key target for the country’s leading dogs. Since it has been at Curraheen Park, dogs that have got their noses home first have included Sonic Flight, Ardkill Jamie and Razidazi Rioga.
Grand National
A more recent addition to the Cork track’s racing calendar is the Grand National. This moved to the track after the closure of Harolds Cross in 2017. Raced over a distance of 525 yards, it is the leading hurdle event in Ireland. Since it has been at Curraheen Park, the race has been twice won by Pat Kiely-handled dogs, with Lightfoot Prince leading the pack home in 2018 and Lightfoot Kante following up the year after.