As I understand the position, this Bill is introduced by the Minister to rectify what I might perhaps rudely term a botch in the 1961 Act. My only comment in regard to that is that it is a good thing it is being rectified and a very bad and unfair thing for those concerned that it has taken so long for the rectification to reach this House. The 1961 Act was enacted by the Oireachtas after there had been some discussions not merely between the then Minister for Defence, Deputy Kevin Boland, with the racecourse authorities but also with the Deputies for the constituency and it now appears that the 1961 Act did not carry out the assurances given to the Deputies and later to the House by the Minister concerned.
The Minister in introducing this Bill has given us some history of the Curragh itself. It is desirable that perhaps one might fill in a little bit both in relation to history and in relation to the factual position so that one may see the Bill with its complete background. As I understand it, and perhaps as the Minister indicates to some degree, the Curragh plain was an unenclosed common as far back as there is any record anywhere. Indeed, at one time it extended as far as the River Liffey and was gradually reduced by encroachment from all sides. This is borne out by the names of townlands along the borders such as Pollardstown, Crotanstown, Maddenstown, Brownstown and Walshtown, all of which are known to anybody with any knowledge of that part of Kildare.
After the Act of 1870 the Curragh contained some 4,885 acres. That sounds a great deal of land and I think the size is emphasised even more when one recollects that the perimeter of the Curragh is about 15 miles in all. As everybody knows, the Curragh extends to a large area on both sides of the Droichead Nua-Kildare Road, which is the main road to the south and west. In our memory, the Curragh has been utilised in three different ways—as a military camp, a racecourse and for grazing. These three ways were partly accepted in the 1961 Act. The present military camp is situated on the rise known as Long Hill. I think I am right in saying that it was originally selected as a temporary instructional camp in 1854 on the outbreak of the Crimean War. It then became a permanent training centre and was, of course, the biggest British military station in Ireland. The permanent barracks was built towards the close of the century, together with the water tower, which stands out as a landmark. It was taken over by us on 16th May, 1922, and, since then, it has been our main army training centre. It has played a vital role in the development of our army.
In the 1961 Act and in this Bill, because this will be construed with the 1961 Act, the camp lands are specifically mentioned. They are called the Brown Lands on the map deposited under the Act of 1870. This camp section of the Curragh is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the military and there is no suggestion of changing that exclusive jurisdiction in any way. I suppose the camp was originally sited there because of the vast expanse of the plain; it was ideal as a training ground for cavalry. Cavalry have long since disappeared and, though an army must have tanks and other tracked vehicles, the huge sweep originally required for cavalry manoeuvres is no longer necessary. I have heard some suggestions — perhaps the Minister would look into them—that some of the better grazing land is being used for tracked vehicle exercises for training purposes when, in fact, some of the bad land would be equally suitable. I am not in a position to offer any comment as to the extent of the sweep of land needed for what might be described as the modern cavalry— tanks and tracked vehicles—since that is obviously something in regard to which one would need to know a great deal about modern military instructional methods. The suggestion has been made by those interested in the grazing that it is odd that these tracked vehicles should confine their operations to the better grazing land instead of using land that is not so good and land that will literally produce nothing at all. This is a side issue but it is something I should like the Minister to examine to see if the land could be utilised for training purposes without, at the same time, doing any more damage than is necessary.
There are also the Blue Lands which are used as a rifle range. They must continue to be so used for army training purposes. Everybody understands that. Apart from the Blue Lands, prior to 1961 all the rest of the land on the Curragh was designated as grazing lands; they are the Green Lands marked on the map. That was the position until 1961. Up to that time it was not possible to enclose any part of the Curragh for racecourse purposes or even for improving the gallops for the very, very substantial horse industry centred round the Curragh. It is not necessary for a Deputy from Kildare to come in here and stress the very substantial effect on employment, exports and our balance of payments, plus the ensuring of tourist amenities, that the horse breeding industry carries. The Curragh is the centre of the horse breeding industry and the arrangements made by the Racing Board to ensure they would be able to enclose part of the Curragh in order to improve the lands, the racecourse or the gallops, without doing injury to those entitled to grazing rights, were very welcome indeed.
I do not quite understand what the Minister means by the phrase, "non-exercise of 307 sheep grazing rights". I understand that the arrangements in relation to the enclosure of the racecourse were specifically based on extinguishment of rights. In this respect the Minister has mentioned the extinguishment of 1,432 rights at the time of about 800 acres being enclosed for the purpose of the racecourse and for the purpose of improving the gallops. Indeed, it is a matter of some curiosity to me that this non-exercise could be taken into account having regard to the provision of section 11 (3) (a) of the 1961 Act. No doubt, either now or on Committee Stage, the Minister will be able to give me some elucidation of that.
I do not think it would have been possible to have improved the Curragh racecourse buildings as such and to have accommodated the very great crowds that go there on the day of the Hospitals' Sweep Derby and other similar days, unless it was also found possible at the same time to enclose and improve the race track. Certainly, without that improvement, we would not have got famous horses here from other countries, and it would not have been possible to make the Hospitals Sweeps' Derby one of the half-dozen outstanding races in the world. The Racing Board are to be congratulated on the work they have done in this respect. The work they have done towards the improvement of the course has brought greater prospects for competition by good horses which, in turn, has brought greater crowds to the meetings. This, in turn, has given the Racing Board greater funds with which to improve the course and, indeed, to improve not merely the facilities for racegoers at the Curragh but for racegoers everywhere else, while at the same time ensuring that there will be an inducement to improve the horse breeding industry by making available greater stakes for race meetings all over the country.
Those of us who were having discussions at that time will remember— and I am sure it is in the Minister's brief although he has not engaged in the discussions—that one of the things that was worrying everyone was the bad appearance of parts of the Curragh and the lack of its adequate use for agricultural purposes. At that time, the Racing Board gave an undertaking that they would improve the look of the part of the Curragh that was to be enclosed. It gives me great pleasure to be able to utilise this occasion to acknowledge that the undertaking has been fulfilled. The part that was enclosed has been cleared of furze and the gallops and the racecourse were improved by liming and manuring. Anyone going there at present can see that, in addition to that job having been done when it was necessary that it should first be done, there is also a limited planting programme for amenity and scenic purposes. This meant cutting off a certain part of the Curragh and, notwithstanding the fact that that part has been cut off, a large part of the Curragh is still used for horse training purposes. The gallops are tended and minded by the Racing Board. The owners who train and exercise horses on the Curragh are bound to pay substantial fees to the Racing Board to mind and improve those gallops. The more the gallops are improved The more there will be for grazing purposes, and the less damage will be done to grazing elsewhere.
It should be put on record that, so far as we are concerned, and so far as I as a Kildare Deputy am concerned, we regard the horse racing and horse breeding industry in that part of the country as being of vital importance both for employment and for providing an appropriate tourist amenity and, indeed, an amenity for our own people. Anything that can be done to ensure that racing on the Curragh is the headquarters of racing throughout the country as a whole should be done.
When I was down in the country quite recently, a friend of mine who is a very well-known trainer indeed, one of our most successful trainers— obviously I will not mention his name in this House—told me that in his part of Limerick a false and malicious rumour was put around such as the one which was spread in 1957, that the Fine Gael Party were in favour of taxing racing and hitting the horse breeding industry. That rumour was put around pretty widely in 1957 about me personally. I want to take this opportunity to say it is a malicious untruth and I am sure an untruth of the kind to which the Minister would not lend himself.
