Laytown Racecourse

Ireland's only racecourse run on a beach.

Laytown is a seaside village in Co. Meath, on the east coast about 46 km (29 miles) north of Dublin, and its racecourse is unlike any other in these islands: the racing is run on the tidal strand at Ninch, making it the only meeting in Ireland or Britain held on a beach under the Rules of Racing. There is no permanent track. As the morning tide recedes, a straight, near-level course is marked out on the wet sand and temporary marquees serve as weighing room, bars and stands, with most racegoers watching from an elevated field above the beach. Flat racing only, the card is confined to six- and seven-furlong races. First recorded in 1868 in conjunction with the Boyne Regatta, the single fixture each September draws crowds of several thousand to a genuinely one-of-a-kind day's racing.