Thurles Racecourse, Ireland’s only privately owned racecourse, has closed with immediate effect. Today, (Friday 01 August), Riona Molony officially announced the family’s decision to retire from racing at the Tipperary track.
An iconic venue steeped in history and tradition, Thurles Racecourse has long been a cornerstone of National Hunt Racing in Ireland. The first ever recorded race-meeting at Thurles took place in 1732, and it has been in the hands of the Molony family since the early 1900s. Riona’s late husband, Pierce, took over from his father, Doctor Paddy Molony, in 1974, and together with their family, they have worked hard at the business for the last 50 years.
As the Molony family prepare to embark on their next chapter, Riona expressed sincere gratitude for the support of their “extended racecourse family”, the staff, sponsors, racing community, local businesses, and the many racegoers who have contributed to the rich legacy of Thurles Racecourse.
“It has been an honour and a privilege for our family to have run Thurles Racecourse, and I am officially announcing our retirement today,” she said.
“We are very proud of the immense contribution our family has made to racing, and we are most grateful to our extended racecourse family, our dedicated staff, generous sponsors, loyal patrons and the wider racing community for all your support.”
Horse racing is part of the fabric of our family, and we have been very fortunate to have made so many great friends within the industry over the years. My family and I look forward to going racing with you again, as spectators.”
“Since my beloved husband Pierce passed away in 2015, with the help of our four daughters Patricia, Helen, Ann Marie and Kate and our wonderful staff, we’ve managed to keep the show on the road, and I know he would be very proud of us for that. The girls all have their own families, careers and lives to live. Ever-increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business have also been major factors.”
Thurles Racecourse is fully licensed to race until December 31st and has 11 prominent fixtures in the 2025/26 racing calendar, including the Thyestes Chase.
As of today, though, it would have to be under new management, and it will be interesting to see over the coming weeks what options emerge, whether the land will be sold, as was the case with the Phoenix Park Racecourse in 1990, or whether others, perhaps Horse Racing Ireland, would step in.
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