The Curragh

The Curragh is about two thousand hectares of open grassland in central Kildare that has never been ploughed - a continuous sward on limestone gravel, probably grazed for several thousand years, and one of the largest areas of semi-natural grassland left in Ireland. Grazing rights are held in common by local sheep farmers under an arrangement that predates any written record and is now regulated by an act of 1961; sheep wander freely and there are no fences across most of it. The turf is the reason for the racing: thoroughbred training gallops have used it since the eighteenth century, the Curragh Racecourse hosts the Irish Derby and the classics, and the surrounding area is the centre of Irish bloodstock. The plain also holds Donnelly's Hollow, where the boxer Dan Donnelly beat George Cooper in 1815 in front of tens of thousands, marked by footprints in the grass.

History

The Curragh was a meeting place in pre-Christian times and is wrapped in myth: the Hill of Allen to its north is the legendary meeting place of the Fianna, and a legend tells how St Brigid, around 480 AD, set out to found a monastery here (Wikipedia, The Curragh).

What you'll find

• The unfenced sward - unploughed grassland grazed in common.
• The gallops - thoroughbreds working on the turf in the early morning.
• The sheep - wandering freely, with commonage rights older than records.
• Donnelly's Hollow - the 1815 prize-fight site, marked in the grass.

When to go

April to October. Early mornings are when the horses are on the gallops, which is the best thing to see here. Race days at the Curragh bring heavy traffic.

Practical notes

Roads cross the plain and sheep wander onto them - drive slowly, and collisions happen. Parts of the plain are military land with restricted access. There are no visitor facilities on the commonage itself.

Nearby

The Irish National Stud is at Kildare town; Newbridge and the Liffey are north.

Key facts