By Dan Walsh
The Irish Greyhound Board and Enniscorthy Greyhound Track have agreed a memorandum of understanding to keep the track open until the end of 2022, subject to a review in the final quarter of 2021. The news was welcomed today by Wexford TD and Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne.
In a statement to WexfordLocal.com, Minister Browne said; “I’m delighted the Irish Greyhound Board has reversed its decision on Enniscorthy Greyhound Track. Enniscorthy’s track has a long tradition as a sporting hub of County Wexford. When I met the Irish Greyhound Board CEO Gerard Dollard, I left them in no uncertain terms about the importance of the track and how Enniscorthy Greyhound Track is engrained in the community’s heritage and culture. The campaign to keep the track open confirmed the strength of support behind Enniscorthy Greyhound Track.
“This is a terrific success story and I commend the Enniscorthy Greyhound Track company that preserved and stressed the need to keep Enniscorthy Greyhound Track open for racing”, Minister Browne concluded.
Speaking at today’s monthly meeting of Enniscorthy Municipal District Council held under Covid-19 government guidelines, Cllr Kathleen Codd-Nolan said Enniscorthy Greyhound Track is to remain open till 2022 which she declared “is great news for the town”. She complimented the committee and everybody who kept the campaign going to keep the track open.
Cllr Jackser Owens concurred with Cllr Codd-Nolan’s sentiments. “The fight was well fought, it was a hard slog, but it is great to keep the track open,” he stated.
Following an Indecon report, the Irish Greyhound Board announced its intention to withdraw funding for Enniscorthy greyhound track, a decision which would force the track’s closure. In January 2020, Minister Browne met Irish Greyhound Board CEO Gerard Dollard to fight for the retention of the Enniscorthy Greyhound Track. Significant engagement resulted in the Irish Greyhound Board conducting a review.
WexfordLocal.com 