Not all readers will be familiar with Laytown, despite the fact that racing has taken place there since 1876.
All those years ago, the local parish priest founded a meeting that is arguably the most unique in Ireland or Britain. The racing takes place on the beach beside the sea - and sadly, its uniqueness lies in the fact that it's the last beach meeting under rules in Europe. If you've seen the movie 'The Crying Game' you may remember a scene on the beach. That scene was actually filmed at Laytown (although Laytown is not what most people remember from that movie!). Racing takes place only once a year, usually in September.
The races themselves are restricted to six and seven furlongs and are run over a straight course. On raceday morning, the area is closed off and steps are cut into the sand dunes to form a makeshift grandstand. It's not uncommon for ten thousand people or more to show up so marquees are erected to act as bars, weigh-in rooms, changing rooms etc. and are later dismantled for another year.
Because racing takes place so infrequently, it's impossible to draw any meaningful statistics for Laytown.