Summer visitors to Ireland have the opportunity to enjoy a very special kind of sporting event. ‘Laytown Races’ is unique in the Irish horse racing calendar and attracts people from all around the world. The word unique is bandied about a lot by promoters of events that have doubtful claims to such a title, but in the case of Laytown, this spectacle is truly worthy of the distinction as it is the only officially approved beach racing in Europe. The small coastal town lies just twenty nine miles north of Dublin in County Meath on Ireland’s East coast. The long strand offers spectacular views to the North, where, on a crisp day, the blue rise of the Mountains of Mourne can be clearly seen in distant County Down. The event is easily reached by road and rail from Dublin and Belfast.

The races have been in existence for over a hundred and forty years and the unusual event is never on the same date as the organisers have to apply for a licence annually and also work according to the tides. The date fixed for this year 2010, is Tuesday September 7. As the tide recedes, well practised workers descend on the strand and begin assembling the course. Plastic tubing is transported on tractors, as is all the advertising hoardings and the all important ‘Winning Post’. In ‘The Field’ on a rise above the strand, the usual assortment of Bookmakers stands, burger stalls, and hospitality tents spring up, and vendors of every conceivable type arrive to set up shop. The media are also there in force and TV cameras are mounted on telescopic cranes overlooking the grand stand where they can zoom in on the action on the beach below.

The first recorded meeting was in 1868 when races were run on the beach in conjunction with the Boyne Regatta. It is assumed that the rowing competition took place on the high tide and the racing when the tide receded. Charles Stuart Parnell, the Home Rule leader, was one of the first stewards of the strand races, and In 1901 it’s claimed that the local Parish Priest became involved in the organisation and despite disapproval from his superiors, the races became a well organised event. In those days strand races were quiet common being run in places throughout Ireland such grandly named places as Milltown Malbay in Co Clare and at Baltray and the wonderful sounding ‘Termonfeckin’. The racing continued throughout the years and in the nineteen fifties and sixties Laytown was considered an important meeting for horses preparing for the great Galway Festival. In those days there were no all weather surfaces for training horses and the sands at Laytown were considered ideal preparation for the Galway track.

In the early days racing was run at distances between five furlongs and two miles with a U-shaped turn at Bettystown where the horses made a colourful sweeping return before heading back to the Laytown finish. The whole beach area was a profusion of colour with racegoers, bookies, fast food outlets, ice cream vendors, ‘Hurdy Gurdies’ and roulette tables all sharing the strand In the midst of all of these the card-trick merchants appeared, disappeared and reappeared, constantly on the look-out for the Gardai (police.)

An unfortunate accident in 1994 served as a timely reminder of the necessity of new safety measures. The U-shaped track was done away with and the Turf Club imposed restrictions on the number of runners in each race and also insisted that only experienced riders were allowed. From that date vehicles were prohibited from the beach as were all betting facilities.

Wedged between mean rolling skies and a chilly Irish Sea, its a curious look at the boldness of the Irish equine industry and the steeliness required to enjoy the unpredictable and infamous Irish summer. Regardless of the weather, the faithful return in their thousands each summer to enjoy the oddity that is the Laytown races.

Author Bio: John Lynn is a photojournalist based in Ireland. link text

Category: Recreation
Keywords: horses,racing,Ireland,beach,sand,jockey,rider,betting,races,bookmaker