Thurles, Ireland’s only privately-owned racecourse, has closed with immediate effect.
Owned by the Molony family since the early 1900s, Thurles has been a mainstay of the Irish jumps racing calendar.
Riona Molony officially announced the family’s decision to retire from racing at the Tipperary track on Friday, pointing to other family commitments, as well as “increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business”.
She said in a statement: “It has been an honour and a privilege for our family to have run Thurles Racecourse, and I am officially announcing our retirement today.
“We are very proud of the immense contribution our family has made to racing and we are most grateful to our extended racecourse family, our dedicated staff, generous sponsors, loyal patrons and the wider racing community for all your support.
Although, Thurles has 11 prominent fixtures in the 2025/26 racing calendar, the Molony Family will not race again
“Horse-racing is part of the fabric of our family, and we have been very fortunate to have made so many great friends within the industry over the years. My family and I look forward to going racing with you again, as spectators.”
She continued, “Since my beloved husband Pierce passed away in 2015, with the help of our four daughters Patricia, Helen, Ann Marie and Kate and our wonderful staff, we’ve managed to keep the show on the road and I know he would be very proud of us for that.
“The girls all have their own families, careers and lives to live. Ever increasing industry demands and the cost of doing business has also been a major factor.”
