THE Curragh Racecourse CEO has apologised for the ongoing nuisance caused by the noisy grandstand roof and says the intention is to have it fixed in time for Longines Irish Champions Weekend in September.

Opened in 2019, the new grandstand is the jewel in the €82.7 million Curragh redevelopment. Its facilities are impressive, including the 7,200 sq ft copper-coloured cantilever roof. However, the roof emits a piercing shrill in windy conditions which can even be heard by television viewers during racing.

In February Horse Racing Ireland CEO Brian Kavanagh told an Oireachtas Committee: “At times when the wind is blowing in a certain direction it makes a whistling noise. The team there is working through a solution and I understand it is making progress. There will be no cost to HRI.”

Yesterday Curragh CEO Pat Keogh told The Irish Field: “The noise was very bad from the roof last Monday and I would like to apologise to all those watching the racing who were inconvenienced by it.

“Clearly when the roof was designed, the architect didn’t anticipate any noise from it. Unfortunately resolving the issue has been a long and challenging road for us. Our design team and the contractor looked at all possible solutions and, having considered various options, decided on one which has been successfully tested on a small portion of the roof. They have now designed the solution for the whole roof.

“The next stage is manufacturing and installing the material. I can understand the frustration of people who would have expected this to be complete by now but it is a major undertaking, given the complexity of the issue and the size of the roof. It is also critically important to the Curragh to get this right, even if it takes a bit longer.

“The current situation is unacceptable to us and has to be satisfactorily resolved. I’m confident that the installation will be complete by the end of August, in time for the Longines Irish Champions weekend in September.”

Keogh and his team are looking forward to the Tattersalls Guineas Festival in a fortnight’s time, when it is hoped there will be a significant number of British-trained runners.

“It was great to see English runners and winners in Punchestown last week. Hopefully this will encourage more of them to come over.

“All credit to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board and HRI for the new protocols that were in operation which have made it easier for overseas runners to come to Ireland. We have been receiving very favourable comment on the new protocols from English trainers and we are looking forward to welcoming a good number of them to the Tattersalls Irish Guineas Festival.”