Final greyhound meeting at The Ramparts

November 2000

A big crowd turns out to bid farewell to greyhound racing at The Ramparts when the last meeting is held at the venue.

It is the end of 70 years of the sport in the centre of Dundalk.

Despite bad weather, the attendance is swelled by many first-timers, those who had made the occasional visit and former regulars.

It is a time for reminiscing and looking to the future with a hope that a new track at Dowdallshill will come on stream as quickly as possible.

Greyhound racing started in the Athletic Grounds, which was located nearby, in 1930 and moved to The Ramparts site two years later.

A message from the directors notes it is not the end of greyhound racing in Dundalk.

‘Plans for a new state-of-the-art stadium are well advanced and it is hoped that the facility will be ready within the next two years.’

Fittingly, there are a number of local winners on the eleven-race card.

Marjorie Finigan’s Eyeballs Out (Staplers JoNight Oil) takes the final of the NGOBA Sprint by five-and-a-half lengths in 18.22.

Marjorie is wife of track bookmaker Frank Finigan. Eyeballs Out is trained by Tom Lynch who has the distinction of landing the final race with Whitehall Paddy (Top Honcho-What A Pearl).

A big cheer greets the victory of the appropriately named Not Finished Yet (Mustang JackHow They Finish) which is trained by Raymond Bellew for Tommy ‘ Tuckser’ Cahill.

Not Finished Yet takes a flyer from traps on the way to clocking 30.44.

The Ollie Bray kennel in Navan finishes the meeting with a treble, thanks to Liscarton Charm ( Vintage Prince-Swift Mag), Churchtown Code (Smooth Rumble-Lauras Jewel) and Churchtown Cheer (Frightful Flash-Skip It Quick).