Pig derby at Hugh Lynch's

Forget the horses and the dogs; if it's racing you're after be sure to call down to St Kyran's Street this Sunday, July 8, for the annual Hugh Lynch Pig Derby! The first race in the event, which is approved by the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, starts at 4pm. All proceeds from the event go towards the Johnny Keenan Banjo Festival, which is being held for the first time in its history in Tullamore this year. Six pigs will take part in each of the six races scheduled for Sunday evening. Competitors will have to race down a track that comes complete with small jumps before reaching the finish line. Bookies will be on hand to take spectator bets before each race, while a separate draw will see someone winning a weekend for two in the City North Hotel in Dublin and a €100 voucher for Lynch's. According to organisers a street cover will be in place for the evening, so spectators are promised dryness regardless of the weather.