Listowel Racecourse

About the course

Listowel Racecourse sits right beside the town, within easy walking distance of the centre. Its roots lie in an annual gathering at Ballyeigh strand near Ballybunion, about nine miles away, which mixed games, horse racing and faction fighting. After serious violence there in 1834, racing moved to Listowel, where the first meeting was held on 5 and 6 October 1858.

Early racegoers crossed the River Feale on temporary bridges. Work on the first permanent bridge began in 1910, the first permanent stand opened in 1924 and the Hugh Friel Stand followed in 1998. The course celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2008.

The track is a left-handed oval of one mile and two furlongs, with National Hunt fences and hurdles. The hurdle course can be moved after each day's racing to give fresh ground, and the track has been extended in recent years to allow extra races and the seven-day festival.

Big meetings and races

The Harvest Festival is the big one. It grew from four days in 1970 to seven days in 2002, and it runs each September with a mix of Flat and jumps racing. The Kerry National Handicap Chase, run on the Wednesday, is the biggest race of the week. Other highlights include the Listowel Supporters Club Lartigue Handicap Hurdle and the Listed Listowel Stakes on the Flat.

Friday is Ladies Day and usually draws the biggest crowd of the week. There are also fashion competitions across the festival, with themed days for men, vintage and sustainable style, blue jeans and fancy dress. Read our full Listowel Harvest Festival guide.

Listowel also races over the June Bank Holiday weekend, a meeting that began in 2005.

Getting there

• By road: Listowel is about 25 km north-east of Tralee, 80 km south-west of Limerick and 110 km north-west of Cork. From Limerick or Shannon, take the Tarbert road; from Kerry Airport, take the Tralee road.
• Parking: The course has three entrances with parking, including the Tralee entrance off the N69 Listowel to Tralee road and Barrett's Field, off Bridge Road.
• By rail: Trains run from Dublin Heuston to Tralee and to Limerick, and special bus services run from there to Listowel during the festival.
• By bus: Regular Bus Éireann services run to Listowel town centre from the main routes, and the course is a walk from the town.
• By air: Kerry Airport at Farranfore is the nearest, with Shannon and Cork further away.

Facilities and tips for visitors

The newest stand has public bars and a restaurant, with a reserved upper level holding a dining room and hospitality suites. Around the enclosure there are more bars, food outlets, a shop and on-course betting, including bookmakers and full Tote facilities. During the September festival a big screen is set up and there is live music after racing.

For wheelchair users, the course directs drivers to park in the Greenville car park.

New to racing? Our guide to your first day at the races covers what to expect.

Nearby places to stay

Staying in Listowel itself means you can walk to the course. Tralee, about 25 km away, is a larger base with a rail link to Dublin, and Ballybunion on the coast is also nearby. Limerick works for visitors happy to travel in on the festival buses.

Latest highlights

Highlights from Horse Racing Ireland on YouTube. Full race replays are on Racing TV.

More Listowel highlights