Racegoers’ haunt gets fresh lease as place of worship

Gamblers have once again been banished from a temple in a modern twist on the biblical tale.

A hotel and restaurant which once played host to thousands of punters attending the nearby Galway racecourse has begun a new life — as a parish church.

The Racing Lodge on the outskirts of Galway City, once the favoured haunt of racegoers, took on a very different identity over the weekend when the first Mass was celebrated there.

Bishop of Galway, Dr Martin Drennan, was the chief celebrant as huge crowds flocked to the new Church of the Good Shepherd in Deochuisce, just a couple of furlongs from the local racetrack.

A pre-school is already up and running in the building, while the 22 bedrooms, kitchen and basement are all to be used for community purposes.

Bought in 2004 by local businessman and developer, Stephen Harris for €5.5m, the Racing Lodge was booked out in successive years as racegoers could easily stroll to the track in Ballybrit.

But it was badly affected by the economic downturn and after being leased for a period, it eventually closed down in early 2011.

Local Parish Priest, Fr Martin Glynn, had been working overtime to put a viable plan in place to meet the community needs of the new parish.

He called a meeting from which the Deochuisce, Roscam, Ardan (DRA) Community Development Company was formed to develop local infrastructure, meet the needs of the local people, and influence planning in the area.

An action plan was agreed and in 2011 the company approached Galway City Council for funding with a view to purchasing the Racing Lodge from Mr Harris.

Funding of €200,000 over four years is being provided by the council while the diocese of Galway advanced a €300,000 loan, along with bridging finance of €150,000.

Locals had been consulted about exactly what kind of church they wanted and based on the feedback, the space was developed.

“It was a phenomenal day,” said DRA company secretary Dan Hurley.

“I suppose it is a very different use to what it once was, but Fr Glynn has put his heart and soul into the project and we are all delighted with how it has worked out.”