Harolds Cross Greyhound Stadium
| Location | 6 Harold's Cross Road, Dublin 6W, County Dublin City, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°19'26.1"N 6°16'36.1"W |
| Operated by | Irish Greyhound Board |
| Date opened | 1928 |
| Date closed | 13 February 2017 |
| Race type | greyhound racing |
Harold's Cross Stadium was a greyhound racing stadium in the south Dublin city district of Harold's Cross, owned and operated by the Irish Greyhound Board.
Racing took place every Tuesday and Friday evening. Facilities included a grandstand restaurant, carvery, a number of bars, totalisator betting and ample seating.
Race distances were 325, 525, 550, 570, and 750 yards and the feature competitions at the track were the Corn Cuchulainn, the Puppy Derby and the Grand National.
The stadium closed on 13 of February 2017 due to financial constraints. The sale proceeds will be used to help pay a €20.3 million debt incurred from the construction of Limerick Greyhound Stadium.
On 13 February 1928 a new Irish company was registered called the Dublin Greyhound and Sports Association Ltd. The nominal capital was £25,000 in shares of £1 and the directors were J.B Fraser a timber merchant, John J Flood (retired public official), Walter Butler (architect), Edward Teehan (gentleman) and John McEntagart (motor engineer). Together they would introduce the second greyhound racing track to Dublin in the form of Harold's Cross close to the centre of Dublin (the first was Shelbourne Park).
It became the third greyhound racing venue in Ireland following Shelbourne Park and Celtic Park in Belfast. The opening night was on 10 April 1928 with the first race scheduled for 8pm. The Irish Times advertised the fact that there was accommodation for 40,000 people and car parking for 1,000 cars. The Riordan family formed the first management with John superseded by his son John F.
In 1928 Harolds Cross introduced a competition that would become the modern day Irish Greyhound Derby, the race was unofficial because Harolds Cross decided to run this 'National Derby' without consulting the Irish racing fraternity. This was a practice they would continue to do until the formation of classic races in 1932.
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