So, just how interested in racing are the sports-mad Irish public?

Ireland is a sports-loving nation. Not necessarily in a participatory sense, but we talk a good game. Interest fluctuates, but we love nothing better than celebrating sporting success, whatever the field.

But how popular is Irish racing? What sort of interest does the sport command among the Irish public in 2022?

I can't answer those questions satisfactorily, or at least not objectively. In fact, I'm not certain that a public level of interest can be measured in any meaningful way, and I'm sceptical of extravagant claims made by industry figures about the elevated position of racing in the hierarchy of Irish sporting activities.