N1343 Racecourse Inn

After the previous pub writeup heavily featuring a fire, you might not expect the next one to do so too; but the Racecourse was damaged in a fire in 2012, although not anywhere near as extensively as Graingers was in 2002.

Named for Baldoyle Racecourse, which closed in 1972, the pub and adjacent Racecourse Shopping Centre are not actually built on the lands of the race course, which remain extensively un-redeveloped to this day. 

 

There's large Hope adverts in the road-facing windows of the pub, but the vast lounge I was in didn't serve it. Looking at the layout from the outside, I'm guessing it's served in a bar which I missed - craft in the bar rather than the lounge isn't the most common thing!

 

The lounge was fairly lively for the time of the afternoon it was, before there was any particularly high interest sports on TV; with a mix of racing viewers, families dining and groups of lads in five-a-side kit; presumably *after* their match rather than before making up the bulk of the customers.