by Louise Doyle

CONCERN has been raised by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICABS) following two reported incidents at Lifford Greyhound Stadium at the weekend.

A greyhound trainer reported that there were three broken legs in a race at the track on Saturday. The following day, traps are reported to have failed to opening, causing dogs to bump their heads.

In a post on X, the trainer stated that there were “3 broken legs in the first race” at the County Donegal track on Saturday, August 9.

The trainer was responding to a post from a greyhound racing supporter, who described an incident at the same track the following evening: “What a joke the traps at Lifford…the traps failed when opening (and) all the dogs bumped their heads…madness.”

The greyhound trainer added that “something similar happened the other week as well”.

Greyhound Racing Ireland website shows that in Race 1 on Saturday last, three greyhounds “did not finish”. One of the greyhounds stopped and the other two were knocked over at the first bend. One of them was “lame”. For all three dogs, it was the first time they were used in racing.

The reported injuries are the latest in a series of such incidents at Lifford track, prompting fresh calls to the government from ICABS and Greyhound Action Ireland to stop the suffering and ban what they describe as “cruel greyhound racing”.

Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show that since 2015 alone, at least 103 greyhounds have suffered injuries in races at Lifford track and 48 were killed.

Last year, Lifford track recorded its highest number of injuries and deaths since records began; 22 greyhounds suffered injuries and 13 of them euthanised by a track vet.

The 13 greyhounds euthanised by the vet had suffered broken leg (five), broken hock (three), broken radius (1), fractured metatarsal (one), fractured radial bone (one), shattered hock / broken calcaneus (one) and suspected spinal injury (one).

In the first four months of this year, 11 greyhounds were injured at Lifford track and six were killed.

Across the country, 3,802 greyhounds suffered injuries and 1,452 were killed in races since 2014, according to figures.

ICABS point out that Greyhound Racing Ireland figures are based on “reported” injuries and deaths, meaning that the actual number could potentially be even higher.

“They do not include the greyhounds injured at tracks and later killed elsewhere, or the thousands of greyhounds who are killed every year because they are not fast enough to win races,” they said.

ICABS say that since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has received €366,986,146 in State funding, including €18.2 million for 2023, €19 million for 2024 and €19.82 million for 2025.

“This is unacceptable and must be stopped. Tell the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin to stop the funding and back a ban on this dog-killing gambling activity,” said a spokesperson.

In response, a spokesperson for Rásaíocht Con Éireann (Greyhound Racing Ireland) said: “RCÉ regrets hearing of any report of an injury at its tracks.

“Further information can be obtained in Rásaíocht Con Éireann’s (RCÉ) Industry Activity Report, covering January to June 2025, which is available to view www.grireland.ie”