Harness racers object to council plans to bring in beach bylaws

THE Irish Trotting & Harness Racing Federation (ITHRF) is objecting to Cork County Council plans to introduce bylaws on beaches which will severely curtail their sport and a number of other activities.

A delegation from the ITHRC, led by Donal Murphy and Michael Duggan, spoke with councillors at a meeting in Clonakilty yesterday where they outlined their concerns – in particular a proposed ban on horses on beaches from 11am to 7pm.

Mr Murphy, from Baltimore, said his organisation regularly used the beach at Inchydoney and the Warren at Rosscarbery.

He pointed out the tide had to be completely out for training the horses, which usually happened during the restriction hours proposed.

Mr Murphy said last year was the most successful for ITHRC members in West Cork, with many of them winning prestigious races in Wales and Scotland.

He proposed that harness racing would be a major tourist attraction on the beaches and that organised races in the late 1980s and 1990s at Inchydoney attracted huge crowds.

“An equine medic will prescribe training rehabilitation for a horse on sand, because it’s easy on his leg. Using sand would increase the horse’s racing lifetime,” he told councillors.

Mr Duggan said Fáilte Ireland had used images of horses galloping across beaches for its tourism campaigns.

He said horses had to be trotted on hard sand and if they were forced to train them on roads there would be safety implications with traffic.

Cllr Christy O’Sullivan (FF), who organised the delegation, said some of the proposals in draft bylaws amounted to over-regulation.

“I will be opposing any regulation on these activities. Instead we should concentrate on controlling litter on the beaches for the sake of tourism,” Cllr O’Sullivan said.

Yesterday was the closing date for submissions from the public on the proposed bylaws.

They also set out regulations for the control of dogs, which must be kept on a fixed leash less than two metres long during the summer months.

Cllr Danny Crowley (FF) said he wanted a copy of all the submissions made.

“It’s important we will get a full picture,” he added.

Assistant county manager Theresa White said all documentation would be supplied to the council’s coastal management committee before any decision was reached.