Horseracing in Ireland

Horse racing in Ireland is intricately linked with Irish culture and society. The racing of horses has a long history on the island, being mentioned in some of the earliest texts. Domestically, racing is one of Ireland's most popular spectator sports, while on the international scene, Ireland is one of the strongest producers and trainers of Thoroughbred horses. The Irish horse racing industry is closely linked with that of Great Britain, with Irish horses regularly competing and winning on the British racing circuit.

Horse racing in Ireland has a very long history. The ancient text Togail Bruidne Dá Derga (Destruction of the Mansion of Da-Derga) mentions chariot races taking place on the Curragh during the lifetime of the monarch Conaire Mór, whose reign is disputed but is believed to have occurred sometime between 110 BC and 60 AD. The use of the Curragh as an early location for horse racing is also mentioned in a gloss to the 7th century Liber Hymnorum. The mythological Fianna were said to have enjoyed horse racing without the use of chariots; the Book of Leinster contains an early poem mentioning races at the Curragh and near Croom, as well as a tradition of racing on the beach in Kerry, a tradition which continues today. There are later mentions of "horse matches" in Galway in the 13th century under the "Kings Plate Articles".

The earliest datable evidence, however, is a 1603 royal warrant entitling the governor of Derry to hold fairs and markets at which horse races could be staged. Horse racing was evidently popular in the 17th century: a 1622 poem tells of a jockey killed participating in a horse race in Carrickfergus, while other accounts mention a 1634 race between Lord Digby and the Earl of Ormond, and the establishment in 1682 of a race by Lord Kildare, with a plate of 40 pounds to the winner. In a correspondence to King Charles II in 1673, Sir William Temple stated "Horses in Ireland are a drug... we see horses bred of excellent shape, and vigour, and size, so as to reach great prices at home, and encourage strangers to find the market here."

...
Wikipedia