From Celtic mythology, via bare knuckle fights to Derby battles

1 The origins of horseracing on the Curragh are rooted in Celtic mythology and shrouded in the mists of time. When diarist John Dunton visited the Curragh races in 1698 a Royal Plate was already in existence. Definitive records of results at the venue date from the early 1750s.

2 Legislation enacted in 1868 and 1870 set out arrangements for the management of 4,870 acres of the Curragh Plains, dealing with matters such as military use of the lands, the approval of 7,957 sheep grazing rights for farmers with historic entitlement to common pasture, and the Turf' Club's supervision of training grounds. Conflict between sheep farmers and the racing fraternity has been a sporadic feature of Curragh life. In 2005 local sheep farmer Percy Podger spearheaded a battle against the track's redevelopment plans which were subsequently stalled by the recession. A revised project was activated in 2015, and redevelopment is currently in progress.

3 On November 13, 1815, Irish champion Dan Donnelly defeated English challenger George Cooper in the most celebrated bare-knuckle fight in Irish history. The contest, viewed by an estimated 20,000 spectators, took place in a natural amphitheatre on the Curragh, known since as Donnelly's Hollow. An obelisk marks the site. The pugilist's right arm, originally rescued from Edinburgh University's medical school, became a tourist attraction in the 1950s when put on display in the Hideout, a pub in nearby Kilcullen.