Punchestown Racecourse facts for kids
Punchestown races 2009
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| Location | County Kildare, Ireland |
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| Date opened | 1875 |
| Course type | National Hunt |
| Notable races | Boylesports.com Champion Chase; Punchestown Gold Cup; Ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle; Rabobank Champion Hurdle; AES Champion 4YO Hurdle |
Punchestown Racecourse is a famous place in County Kildare, Ireland. It's known as the main home for Irish Jumps Racing. This means it's where horses race over fences and hurdles. The racecourse is located near Naas, between two main roads.
The track itself is designed for right-handed racing. It has a hilly hurdle course that's about 1.6 miles long. The steeplechase course, which has bigger fences, is 2 miles long. Punchestown is also special because it has the only cross-country course in Ireland. This course has natural obstacles like banks and ditches.
Besides horse racing, Punchestown is a popular spot for music concerts. Many big music festivals and famous artists have performed here. For example, the Oxegen festival was held here for many years. Bands like AC/DC and Bon Jovi, and artists like Eminem, have played sold-out shows. In 1982, Rory Gallagher played to a huge crowd, with U2 and Phil Lynott also performing.
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Punchestown Festival: Ireland's Big Race Event
The Punchestown Festival is the most important horse racing event of the Irish National Hunt season. It usually takes place every April. This exciting festival lasts for five days, from Tuesday to Saturday. Many people see it as Ireland's version of the famous Cheltenham Festival in England. It follows a similar schedule and features top races.
Some of the biggest races at the festival include:
- The Champion Chase
- The Punchestown Gold Cup
- The Champion Hurdle
- The World Series Hurdle
- The Champion Four Year Old Hurdle
Punchestown is also home to Ireland's best-known International Three Day Event. This yearly event is called the "Punchestown International Three Day Event and Horse Show." It includes a special three-day event for horses and riders, plus national showjumping and showing competitions. Punchestown even hosted the European Eventing Championships in 1991 and 2003.
Punchestown's Racing History
The races at Punchestown were officially set up again in 1861. They were called "Kildare and National Hunt Steeplechases." By the mid-1860s, when fences and hurdles were first used, about 40,000 people came to watch. In 1868, the Prince of Wales (who later became King Edward VII) visited. This made even more people come, with around 5,000 traveling by train just from Dublin!
Music and Concerts at Punchestown
Punchestown is not just for horse racing; it's also a well-known place for music festivals.
- The Creamfields festival was held here in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
- Ozzfest also took place a few times.
- The Witnness festival was here in 2003.
- The annual Oxegen festival was a huge event from 2004 to 2011, and again in 2013.
The racecourse can hold up to 80,000 people for concerts. The band Radiohead played a concert here, calling it "Live From A Tent In Dublin."
Eminem performed two sold-out shows in 2003. His first-ever concert in Ireland was at Punchestown on June 26, 2003. He returned in 2010 to headline the Oxegen festival, also at Punchestown.
The American rock band Bon Jovi played here on June 7, 2008.
Australian rock band AC/DC performed on June 28, 2009, to almost 70,000 fans. There were some issues with long queues and not enough lighting, but it was a massive concert.
Westlife singer Shane Filan also played a solo concert at the racecourse in 2017.
Scouting Jamboree 2008
Punchestown was the location for Jamboree 2008. This was Scouting Ireland's first national Scout Jamboree. It happened from August 2 to 10, 2008. Bad weather caused the cancellation of the visitors' day, so people planning to visit were told to stay home. During the event, thousands of Scouts from all over the world tried to break a world record for hand-shaking!
