It is with great sadness that we have learned this evening of the death of All Ireland medal winner John Smith of Ballykinlar.

John was left half back on the team of 1961 where he formed a great partnership on the left wing of the team with his club man Paddy Doherty. Against Kerry in the All Ireland semi final and again against Offaly in the final John was the essence of soundness right through both games.

John was prominent in the great Ballykinlar team of the 60s a team deemed to be amongst the best never to have won a County Championship.

On behalf of the family that is Down GAA we extend our deepest sympathy to John’s wife Eithne his son and daughters and to the entire Smith family circle. To the Gaels of Ballykinlar we offer our sympathies on the loss of one of your greats.

Ar dheis de go raibh a anam Seán Óg Mac an tSaoir

There was a bumper crowd at the Down GAA Dual race day at the Racecourse Road stadium, Dundalk on the 12th July with Droopys Verve winning the featured Dundalk International greyhound race on the night.

Glenn woman Terri Sands can look forward to a trip and shopping experience of a lifetime after being named Best Dressed Lady at Ladies Day.  She wore a Shauna Fay dress, Aimee Farrel Designs hat and Topshop shoes on the day.

Droopys Verve became the first English trained winner since John Mullins’ Blonde Dino ten years earlier to win a thrilling €20,000 EOS IT Solutions International. Droopys Verve sealed his victory with a lightning start and needed every inch of that early advantage to hold off the powerful Borna Gin by a short head in a new record time of 29.39.

VIEW SOME PHOTOS FROM EVENT:
http://www.downgaa.net/gallery/event_dual_raceday2018/dual-race-day-2018

Down GAA has been announced as the new sponsor of the annual 12th July dual race day at Dundalk Stadium, Co. Louth using the flagship race day as a fundraising initiative and inviting all clubs within Club Down to make their way South of the border on the traditional 12th July holiday!

This unique dual racing event commences at 2.40pm with a seven-race horse card featuring the Down GAA Handicap. The night's greyhound racing will commence at 7pm with the Down GAA Dundalk International the ace of the card. The Dundalk International is an invitation only race with a total prize fund of €37,000 and is the richest one-off greyhound race in Ireland and the UK.

The winner will pocket a grand total of €20,000 whilst the runner-up will receive €6,000.

€3,500 is on offer for third place and the remaining entrants will €2,500 each.

Michael McArdle, Ulster Delegate & Down GAA Committee Member, said, 'The Dual Race Day is a fantastic initiative by Dundalk Stadium and one that has flourished in recent years. Down GAA are proud to be partners with Dundalk Stadium and we hope all the supporters in Down will join us for a great days racing and come out in force to support our fundraising efforts.'

Marshes Shopping Centre Ladies Day will take place in the afternoon with one lucky lady walking away with a prize package to the value of €4,000 to include an amazing holiday of a lifetime to a destination of your choice as well as a luxury shopping experience at Marshes Shopping Centre.

The judging panel for Ladies Day 2018 will feature Irish Fashion Blogger, Lisa McGowan of Lisa's Lust List; Marshes Personal Stylist and Cool FM Presenter, Rebecca McKinney; Paul & Mike from Funky Fashion Frolics; and Rosie Kirk of Rosie Kirk Make-up.

Emma Meehan, Sales & Marketing Manager of Dundalk Stadium, said 'We are delighted to offer a race day experience like no other combining an afternoon of horse racing and an evening of greyhound racing. This event also marks our annual Ladies Day with a super prize of a trip to a destination of the winners choice and the chance to get the holiday clothes ready with a Marshes Shopping Spree. We are delighted to have Down GAA on board this year and look forward to welcoming all the clubs around the county of Down to the County of Louth on Thursday 12th July. We would like to thank Down GAA and Marshes Shopping Centre for their support of Dundalk Stadium and look forward to a very exciting race day.'