John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

My remarks at the dinner, to which the Deputy referred, were of a general nature in acknowledging the contribution of His Highness, the Aga Khan, and the generosity of John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. I was encouraging other people involved in the industry who benefit from it to see whether they could also invest for the benefit of the racing industry and, in particular, the benefit of racing in Kildare and its flagship project, the Curragh, which is the headquarters of Irish flat racing.

To answer Deputy Wall's second question, I do not envisage national hunt racing taking place at the Curragh under this particular development. The Curragh will remain a flat racing course which is, unquestionably, one of the finest of its kind in the world. I am delighted that this major development for Kildare, Irish flat racing and the Irish racing industry is taking place. It is very important. In 2009, when the racing and general public see the newly designed Curragh, they will agree this is a state-of-the-art, world-class race track with every modern facility available. I envisage it making an enormous contribution to the Irish racing industry, sporting public and, in particular, the economy of County Kildare.

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