Discussions over sulky racing in Ballinasloe
Intense discussions are to take place to determine if sulky racing can again be allowed at the Ballinasloe October Fair after it was banned at this month’s event.
There was a lot of bad feeling amongst the Travelling community when the decision was taken not to allow sulky racing take place – so much so that the popular lunging event in which horse owners display their animals for sale was disrupted and did not take place.
However, there was another lunging event last weekend in Ballinasloe as part of the annual fair and this went off without incident.
In recent years, sulky racing has taken place in a controlled situation – rather than on public roads. But the authorities prevented it from happening at this month’s event for health and safety reasons.
But now Cllr Michael Finnerty has confirmed that discussions would now take place amongst the interested parties with a view to holding the sulky racing again.
He said that these would involve the fair organisers, Galway County Council and the local Gardaí among others. He said that he wanted to avoid the scenes that took place on the first weekend of the fair.
Over the course of the two week fair, the event attracts tens of thousands – the vast majority of whom come for the spectacle. However, there is a lot of serious horse trading conducted as well with some animals on view worth in the region of €30,000.
It is also an occasion for the publicans and traders in the town to take advantage of the two week bonanza as Ballinasloe, like other rural towns, has suffered considerably during the recession and the recovery seems to be very slow.
There have been a number of public order incidents but nothing more than usual while there were thousands of viewers on social media who were intrigued when one Traveller entered the Tesco store in the town on a pony.
But the ban on the sulky racing prompted an ‘invasion’ of the lunging and the Gardaí had difficulty in controlling the situation. A video of the scenes shocked some viewers on social media.
“What we have learned from this situation is that people don’t want to be driven, they want to be led. It is possible for the sulky racing to be held at The Glebe and all interested parties will be coming together to make this happen next year,” Cllr. Finnerty added.