Punchestown to hit taxpayer again with McCreevy summit

Charlie McCreevy will hire out Punchestown racecourse for an EU summit next year at a cost of tens of thousands of euro after controversially fast-tracking E15 million worth of State funding for its event centre.

Mr McCreevy will show off the facility, described as his pet project, to EU finance ministers when he hosts a summit at the racecourse in his Co Kildare heartland in April as part of the Ireland’s EU presidency.

The Finance Ministerial Council meeting will be attended by around 250 delegates from 25 EU countries and institutions and 350 media and will be a major money-spinner for the local economy.