SITTING on the balcony of the grandstand/clubhouse in Gowran Park on a warm summers day, you might think you were somewhere other than Ireland. The view of the racecourse, with much of the golf course in the centre, is simply stunning.

Gowran stages 17 days of racing each year, but the facilities are open all the year round, as the golf course is extremely popular. It suffered during the recession, with the number of members falling to nearly 200 at one time. Now there is a buoyancy to that business and today it can boast of having more than 400 members.