Greenpark Racecourse was a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

venue in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In 1963 the venue was used by Limerick mayor

Frances Condell Frances Condell (29 June 1916 – 10 November 1986) was the first woman Mayor of Limerick city. She was first elected in 1963 and was the only woman to serve two terms in the city. Early life Born as Frances Eades on 29 June 1916 Limerick to Jam ...

to host a reception for U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy on his visit to Ireland. At the venue in 1979, Irish

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

John Treacy John Treacy (born 4 June 1957 in Villierstown, County Waterford) is an Irish Olympian and former athlete, now a sporting administrator. Athletic career Treacy attended St Anne's Post-Primary School in Cappoquin, County Waterford, Ireland ...

won gold at the

IAAF World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the Int ...

and a stage of

Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland Pope John Paul II visited Ireland from Saturday, 29 September to Monday, 1 October 1979, the first trip to Ireland by a pope. Over 2.5 million people attended events in Dublin, Drogheda, Clonmacnoise, Galway, Knock, Limerick, and Maynooth. It w ...

was held here. Due to flooding problems, increasing traffic congestion and a limited fixture list it was decided in the mid 1990s to find a new venue for horse racing in Limerick. A suitable location was identified at Greenmount near

Patrickswell Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick (), is a small town in County Limerick, Ireland. It is primarily a commuter village for people working in Limerick, particularly the nearby industrial suburb of Raheen. The population was 847 at ...

and the land was purchased in 1996. The course at Greenpark closed in 1999 after 130 years of racing. The last race meeting at the venue took place on Sunday 21 March 1999. The final ever horse race run at the Greenpark Racecourse was the Finucane Electrical I.N.H. Flat Race (a

bumper Bumper or Bumpers may refer to: People * Betty Bumpers (1925-2018), American activist, First Lady of Arkansas, wife of Dale Bumpers * Dale Bumpers (1925–2016), American politician, governor of Arkansas and senator * Bumper Robinson (born 197 ...

) over two miles. It was won by the Arthur Moore trained 'Well Ridden' on his racecourse debut. This horse was owned by well known judge Frank Clarke and went on to win five further races in his career including the prestigious Arkle Perpetual Challenge Cup at

Leopardstown Leopardstown () is a suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, within the traditional County Dublin, Ireland. Located at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, it is a residential suburb with institutional lands and a large racecourse. It is ...

. 11 acres of the racecourse site were sold to the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) in 2008 to build the new

Limerick Greyhound Stadium Limerick Greyhound Stadium is a greyhound racing track located in south-west Limerick in Ireland. The stadium has a grandstand restaurant, hospitality suites, fast food facilities and a number of bars. Racing takes place on a Thursday (6:30pm) ...

which opened in October 2010. There have been numerous attempts to develop the site for residential purposes but none have been realised In June 2017 a plan for 26 houses was rejected by

An Bord Pleanála (; meaning "The Planning Board"; ABP) is an independent, statutory, quasi-judicial body that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007, An Bord Pleanála directly decided major ...

. In 2019 the 116.5 acre site was sold to a group of local businessmen for €8m. As of June 2021 development of the site is still at the planning stage with a large housing development under consideration. In April 2022 a property development company received permission to build 371 housing units on the site.

References

External links

OSI map of Greenpark Racecourse:555954,655386,11,9

Satellite view of Greenpark Racecourse on Google Maps
Former horse racing venues in the Republic of Ireland Sports venues completed in 1869 Horse racing venues in the Republic of Ireland Sports venues in County Limerick Sports venues in Limerick (city) 1869 establishments in Ireland 1999 disestablishments in Ireland Cross country running venues {{horseracing-venue-stub