Mullingar 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 Mullingar,

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

, Ireland. It was located at Newbrook about two miles to the southwest of Mullingar town centre alongside the disused Mullingar to Athlone railway line. The racecourse opened at the Newbrook site in 1852 following the completion of the Dublin to Mullingar railway line in 1848. It ceased to operate in 1967. The racecourse was used as a filming location for the 1947 film

Captain Boycott Charles Cunningham Boycott (12 March 1832 – 19 June 1897) was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the verb "to boycott". He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which b ...

. Many local people took part as film extras in a horse racing sequence though some scenes were re-shot at Naas Racecourse. The famous Irish steeplechaser

Arkle Arkle (19 April 1957 – 31 May 1970) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by ''Archive'' out of ''Bright Cherry'', he was the grandson of the unbeaten (in 14 races) flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mar ...

made his racecourse debut here in December 1961 finishing third in the Lough Ennel Plate, 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 ...

After its last meeting in July 1967 there were a number of attempts to revive horse racing at the Newbrook site. The most prominent was organised by the famous singer

Joe Dolan Joseph Francis Robert Dolan (16 October 1939 – 26 December 2007) was an Irish entertainer, recording artist, and pop singer. Chiefly known in Ireland for his association with showbands and for his innovative style and high pitched singing ...

who put together a syndicate to buy the racecourse and develop it into a multi-purpose venue capable of hosting concerts and conferences as well as race meetings. Eventually the racecourse site was sold in June 1972 to a local

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

for £45,000. A year later it was sold on to the Industrial Development Authority for £150,000. On 30 June 1976 the GAF Materials Corporation opened a factory for manufacturing flooring products on the site. Today the site is an industrial estate occupied by many different businesses.

References

External links

OSI map of Newbrook Racecourse, Mullingar

Satellite view of Newbrook Racecourse on Google Maps

The horse race and whacking shillelagh fight from "Captain Boycott" (1947)
on '' YouTube'' * ''

British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

'' footage of Mullingar Races
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an
1924

Photograph of the pontoon bridge across the Royal Canal allowing access to Newbrook Racecourse (1966)

Photograph of a disused portion of Newbrook Racecourse (2015)

Postcard photo of Newbrook Racecourse
{{coord missing, County Westmeath Sports venues in County Westmeath 1852 establishments in Ireland Former horse racing venues in the Republic of Ireland 1967 disestablishments in Ireland Mullingar