Were I to picture my own personal heaven, it would be much like The Curragh.

The 5,000 acres are said to be the area over which Saint Brigid spread her cloak when she requested land from the King of Leinster (he said she was welcome to whatever her mantle covered). The Curragh’s history is closely tied to horses–the name itself means "racecourse" or "running place" in ancient Gaelic.

The 5,000 acres serve as the epicenter of racehorse training in Co Kildare (itself the epicenter of racehorse training in the country). Within the bounds of the racecourse, 800 acres include 78 miles of rolling grass gallops, as well as sand, wood chip, and poly tracks. Outside the track bounds, the land remains open to horse use, although they have to share it with the sheep, which maintain equal rights (ie, don’t run them over).

Trainers here maintain horses at their own yards and ride or van them over to The Curragh for training. The pay for a license and a fee for each horse, for which they get open access, although most come in the early morning. About 45 trainers maintain their yards in the area, said Patrick Kelly, general manager of the training grounds. The grounds see an average of 1,200 horses every day, with up to 1,500 during their busier times. The state owns The Curragh, and the racecourse and training grounds are on permanent lease. The training grounds aren’t intended to make money, and any funds raised go into maintenance