Historic arena for €100m revamp

THE historic main jumping arena at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) showgrounds is to be given a facelift as part of a €100 million five-year development plan for the Ballsbridge property.

As this year’s Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show ended on a high note last evening, preparations were being made to begin work immediately on the next phase of developing the arena to a multi-purpose sports ground with a capacity for 18,000 spectators.

Wooden seats, which have been part of the Anglesea Stand since 1928, are about to be replaced with bucket seats. Upgrading of the stand itself will then take place.