Business as usual for Lisburn Distillery despite closure of Drumbo dog racing at shared grounds

The greyhound racing track, at Ballyskeagh Road was in years past a popular spot for fans of live greyhound racing and had a lively licenced restaurant, overlooking the racetrack.

The Mabel Blair Memorial Ulster Oaks final featured on Saturday night’s card, which will be the track’s last meeting.

Michael Watts, a journalist and vet with a long-standing association with the track, confirmed its closure.

“In recent months the track has struggled to find enough runners due to competition with Bags tracks across the border in the Republic," reported Racing Post.

The New Grosvenor Stadium is a multi-purpose venue in Ballyskeagh, County Down, which also hosts home fixtures for Lisburn Distillery FC.

Speaking to the News Letter, Lisburn Distillery FC confirmed the development does not impact them.

He said: “Lisburn Distillery FC can confirm it is business as usual as we welcome Larne Tech OB to New Grosvenor for our Steel and Sons encounter on Saturday 5th September, KO 2pm.”

A spokesman for the club said it has a separate lease from the greyhound racing business “who sadly has announced closure of dog racing at Drumbo Park”.

He added: “Our current lease with landlord Yorsipp runs to 2043, with a new lease recently being negotiated.”

The club had “a great working relationship” with Drumbo and “extends its best wishes for the future” to them.

The track, formerly known as Ballyskeagh, was substantially redeveloped and relaunched as Drumbo Park following a £3m investment in July 2008.

It previously closed in 2019 when 14 full-time staff and 30 part-time were informed of the development.

Speaking in 2019, director Michael McAdam said the reason behind the closure then was primarily down to declining attendance.

He added that its problems were also related to "restrictive licensing laws".

"You can race on a Sunday, you can gamble on a Sunday, you can have a meal in our restaurant, but you can't have a glass of wine with it," he told the BBC.

"So that ruled out the opportunity to try and change our race pattern. It's just so frustrating - nobody wanted to help us."

A lack of government funding was also cited as a reason behind the closure.

"In Northern Ireland, greyhound racing is not supported by anybody...while in the Irish republic greyhound racing is sponsored semi-state body," he said.

"In Drumbo, a winner of a smaller race would receive £120, whereas they can go to Dundalk and win €350 - we can't compete with that.

"We initially invested somewhere in the region of £3.5m to £4m to open the site, and over the past few years, the directors have provided an additional £300k to try and keep the lights on.

Mr McAdam suggested that more than 10 years on from the 2008 financial crash, its effects were still being felt in greyhound racing.

"The building sector, people who worked in it, were people who owned greyhounds. The first thing to go when they lost their jobs were the greyhounds themselves."

Mr McAdam said in 2019 that the closure would have "no impact whatsoever" for Lisburn Distillery as it was a "standalone enterprise" which is "completely independent of us".

Drumbo opened in 2008 following a £3m investment, employing 120 full time and part time staff.

The venue boasted one hundred plasma television screens, tote booths and bookies stalls, licensed restaurant facilities and a bistro fronted by panoramic views of the track.