One of the many positive by-products of the system of better roads built in Ireland over the last decade is the patchwork of better views. Many of the new roads have cut through parts of the countryside that were never seen before, and lots of new vistas of our lovely countryside have been opened up.
On a clear, sharp winter’s day, some elevated parts of the country offer uninterrupted views for miles and miles. Many of the panoramas have not changed in two or three hundred years. Even today, the tallest buildings in much of Ireland are church steeples that were built in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This unusual fact underscores the lack of development in the countryside, and it is also an indication of the pattern of 17th and 18th century sectarian settlement. These landscapes, dotted with isolated churches, are the architectural telltale signs of dispossession.
As a result, the bragging rights for top ecclesiastical design go to the Church of Ireland, whose steeples are beautiful, typically needle thin and perfectly proportioned. And, of course, due to the plantations, the midland towns of Laois and Offaly are resplendent with magnificent examples of these steeples.
Isn’t it weird to think that the landscape is almost unchanged in 200 years and that the church steeples still give us markers centuries after they were built?
Even the most redoubtable Wesleyan couldn’t have imagined such unchallenged dominance. But back then steeples gave people natural maps of their own regions. People could measure distance from steeple to steeple, and the obvious extension of this measurement was the human urge to race between two steeples.
You can imagine two lads coming out of a pub after a few jars around this time of the year and declaring: “I’ll chase you from that steeple to this one!” This is where the racing expression a “steeplechase” comes from.
The first steeplechase ever took place in 1752, from the Steeple of St John’s Church of Ireland in Buttevant to St Mary’s in Donerail – 4.5 miles away. It was a two-horse challenge between Blake and O’Callaghan. They raced between the steeples, clearing whatever fences and obstacles they encountered, and so was born one of the most demanding and exciting contests in sport.
Fast-forward 260 years, and over the past few days in Leopardstown, Limerick and Down Royal, tens of thousands of us have been to the races and witnessed the finest of steeplechases.
A billion euro industry
Horseracing is deeply rooted in this country and it has been operated in a successful, commercial manner for a long time. The direct economic contribution of the industry to the Irish economy was €1.1 billion in 2012. Racecourses and festivals generate the greatest proportion of this revenue, accounting for €361 million in 2012.
The industry employs 16,877 people, most of whom are geographically dispersed. It is a national attraction – some 80,000 international visitors every year said that one of the reasons they came here was to go racing. In 2012, 1.19 million people attended horseracing events all over the country.
Right now, there are 4,463 racehorse owners in Ireland, 7,781 registered breeders and 704 licensed trainers. Ireland is the fourth largest breeder of foals in the world and the largest producer of thoroughbred foals in Europe, accounting for 40 per cent of the total. Ireland is the third biggest producer of mares in the world.
In per capita terms, the scale of the industry here is staggering, and Irish punters seem to display natural pride in their industry in the way we bet. The irrational tendency for Irish punters to back Irish horses is truly phenomenal.
We display an amazing weakness for backing an Irish horse even when the form tells us that a foreign horse has a better chance of winning. I asked the good people at Paddy Power for figures on Irish betting patterns, and the data confirmed what we all probably suspected: that we are deeply irrational.
In Paddy Power’s shops on the main streets of most Irish towns and cities, the average Irish-trained runner in a race in Britain takes 21 per cent more of the book than an equivalent British-trained runner.
The figures from Paddy Power’s online, phones and mobile business – by far the fastest-growing side of the business – are even more remarkable: the average Irish-trained runner, competing in a race in Britain, takes 24 per cent more of the book than an equivalent British-trained runner.
So today, at racecourses across the country, we will display all classes of irrationality, backing local over foreign horses and trainers, supporting the local industry – at least in theory. In practice, however, the house always wins. The real money is taken from the punters by the bookies and very little is given back from the bookies to the industry.
Off-course betting in Ireland generates €1.35 billion from horseracing as well as the rapidly expanding online betting industry. This return is many times that achieved by breeders, owners and trainers, whose contribution to the thoroughbred industry far outweighs that of the betting industry.
The off-course betting industry redistributes only a fraction of this turnover via the 1 per cent betting levy. And obviously, the online betting industry redistributes nothing to the thoroughbred industry or to the national exchequer.
In Ireland, only 1.6 per cent of betting turnover is returned to Irish racing. This compares to 9.6 per cent in France, 26 per cent in Argentina, 14 per cent in Italy and 6 per cent in Japan. Is it time that the betting houses pay more back into the industry that treats them so well and gives them such a decent living?
The reason this is a crucial question is because for the industry to expand it needs both public and private investment. Given that it generates so much cash for the gambling industry, maybe some fraction of this huge gambling windfall money could go towards the industry rather than only maintaining the bank balance of the bookies?
This afternoon, as you continue the 200-year-old Irish tradition of betting on the steeplechase, consider for a minute, where exactly does your money go?
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Hi David, A real Gem of an article. A flawless one too. It could be used as an analogy for the derivatives “industry”; imagine if the bookies could ring the government to bail them out if from their perspective the wrong horse wins or they could lobby the government to implement laws to control the horse breeding industry in a way the bookies always come out ahead or imagine if the punters were handed so much money by the banks for backing horses that the debt the banks created was too big to sustain etc, etc…. The thing to remember… Read more »
By employing people in Ireland who in turn pay taxes then the industry returns cash to the government. Remember VAT and income taxes.
Remember all the visitors who take nothing much from government but leave behind payments for goods and services and payment of taxes directly.
I am now visiting Ireland again and find most pricing of goods in stores look reasonable at a glance as priced in Canadian dollars. But add the 40% currency swap and all is expensive. Same again in England.
The last thing Ireland needs is to increase pricing by increasing taxes.
Is it a Bookie or a Horse We need to know how to stick the additional earned benefits in racing etc to be able to demand a payment to the exchequer .Tax is the same as glue . It sticks. Forget the bookies they have political clout. Take on the horses they don’t . International Law will soon recognise ‘ that some intelligent animals will have legal rights as non- human person entity . All taxes seek to stick to entities that is all government policies and this is no exception . Horses should now be given PPS ( personal… Read more »
I’m always amazed at the number of bookies shops even in the smallest towns. I can’t understand how a “business” such as this-that causes such destruction is so tolerated except as you point out the clout of the industry and the taxes that arise are more important than the morality of this industry. Btw Wesley wasn’t into building fine churches. You will find that the Methodists were much more practical and modest. Indeed they railed against the over decorated and expensive established churches of the day.
“Princes of the Yen” reveals how Japanese society was transformed to suit the agenda and desire of powerful interest groups, and how citizens were kept entirely in the dark about this. Based on a book by Professor Richard Werner, a visiting researcher at the Bank of Japan during the 90s crash, during which the stock market dropped by 80% and house prices by up to 84%. The film uncovers the real cause of this extraordinary period in recent Japanese history. Making extensive use of archival footage and TV appearances of Richard Werner from the time, the viewer is guided to… Read more »
David, I wonder what answer you would have got if you asked the bould Paddy Whackers how much of their revenue is made from the hated Fixed Odds Betting Terminals that are the staple of their growing UK business segment. Indeed, racing punters are being left behind, poorly serviced and have their accounts closed if they win consistently. The FOBTs, a boon for drug dealers and a magnet for the poor and marginalised in the UK, appear to be the dirty future of bookmaking. You can bet (see what I did there) that Powers are lobbying for their introduction here.… Read more »
Marginally tangentially. One of the interesting things about the past 25 years is movement, first to respectability, and then to full social and cultural centre stage, of what can only be described as the “Seven Deadly Sins”. Here they are: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride. Think of the most successful websites, and online sectors, and see how many sins each one of them cover. It’s an interesting exercise. In fact, one way to think up a successful online model would be to try and find one that includes all of them. For those sharpening their quills, I’m not… Read more »
‘This afternoon, as you continue the 200-year-old Irish tradition of betting on the steeplechase, consider for a minute, where exactly does your money go?’
…..you could also keep your money in your pocket and wait to spend it on something worthy. You could also google ‘declan lynch sunday independent’, and you will learn from his articles how the gambling industry (ahem, excuse me… gaming industry) works in Ireland.
Taxpayer subsidies for the horsey set.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/columnists/fergus-finlay/taxpayer-is-a-born-loser-as-racing-elite-gets-the-sweetest-subsidy-of-all-58028.html
Hi Paddy. I just read the article. This would seem to be in breach of EU Competition law as it may distort trade unless Ireland has a specific exemption in this sector?
End the monetarist schizophrenia – now that’s a worthy goal for 2015.
One door closes,another opens – Bring it on !
30 secs to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZUlr2uJHvQ