Trialling due to begin at Lifford stadium next month

GREYHOUNDS will return to Lifford’s famous stadium next month when trialling begins ahead of the racing season.

A meeting was held in Strabane’s Fir Trees Hotel in recent days to update the greyhound fraternity and public generally on progress.

It has been a long journey for the Lifford track which at one stage looked like it might never reopen.

But following a takeover by a private consortium plans are well advanced for its return both as a top sporting facility and a social venue.

Following a major refurbishment of the stadium’s interior and upgrades to the track, the hopes are that the traps will open for racing either in late April or early May.

Among the new owners is high profile pundit and betting enthusiast Harry Findlay.

“We will be trialling by Cheltenham,” Mr Findlay said.

“Through no fault of our own it has taken longer than it probably should have but we are almost there now and I’m really excited about it all.

“The inside of the stadium has been fully redecorated and looks fantastic and the kennels have been given a makeover as well as other areas.

“We are so happy with the conditions of the track and the sooner we get the local dog men trialling again the better.”

An employment drive to get staff prepared for reopening is expected to be launched in the coming days. Workers will be required for the new Tote system as well as for the hospitality and general day-to-day running of the overall operation.

Cathal Magee has been a permanent fixture at Lifford track for over 70 years. He said he was thrilled to see it reach the stage it has.

“The racing surface has been replaced and we have new traps going in,” said Mr Magee.

“On the corporate side the stadium has been revamped, repainted and redecorated.

“There is still a lot of work to be done in terms of things like installing the Tote machines and the Tote equipment but definitely by mid-March we will be holding trials here. I’m absolutely delighted because we have waited a long time to get to this point. The work that has been carried out, it has been a real team effort with people coming on a voluntary basis to paint and to help out.

“We have to work in tandem with the owners, with the public and everyone else to make this a success and I know many many people are as excited as I am with how things are progressing.”

Racing ceased in Lifford in 2019 following a downturn in trade. For a brief period it did look like it might be redeveloped in a different capacity. But following the private grouping’s intervention it was confirmed that the intention was to keep it as a sporting venue. In June of last year Greyhound Racing Ireland granted the track a licence, one of GRI chief executive Gerard Dollard’s last acts before he stood down from his role.

Speaking last year Paul Gallagher of the North West Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association described the syndicate as “forward thinking” and said the dog fraternity was looking forward to working with the new owners.

“Throughout the greyhound world Lifford is widely recognised as one of the great ‘running’ tracks,” Mr Gallagher said.

“The purchasers are determined to return it to its former glory. The syndicate is aware that the state-of-the-art stadium facility can play an important role in the future development of both local and cross-border communities. Ideally situated overlooking the picturesque Donegal hills, the border town facility has huge potential.”

‘The racing surfacehas been replacedand we have newtraps going in’

By Conor Sharkey