Horse racing and the GAA have been commonly associated for many, many decades as the general punter usually has a background in the Gaelic Athletic Association.

Many GAA enthusiasts have made the cross over and became directly involved in horse racing, former Kildare footballer Willie McCreery springs to mind instantly.
Betting within the GAA has also become more commonplace and many bookmakers will offer odds on their county championships. Louth are no different on this front as Bar One Racing leads the field in offering the punters a reliable and friendly service.
The Bar One chain has grown considerably over the years and there are now nine outlets in Louth alone, eight in Dundalk and one in Drogheda. The Bar One logo is well known throughout the north east, but owner Barney O'Hare explained that the franchise stretches right across the country.
"We would have 25 shops in total. As well as outlets in Louth, we have premises in Meath, Monaghan, Donegal and Galway," revealed Barney. Having been raised with an interest in horses, it was an easy decision for the Down native to get involved in bookmaking.
"I always had an interest in horses and I must say the national hunt is a passion of mine. I started off by buying two shops in Co Down off a friend of mine called Paddy McCourt. I sold them when I decided to set up in Dundalk and we have grown continuously ever since."
Barney admits that the downturn in the economy has affected business as it has every business in the country, but the philosophical bookie believes that you just have to carry on regardless.
"There has certainly been a downturn in the economy over the last couple of years and unfortunately some shops have been forced to close and there will probably be a few more to follow."
With eight shops in Dundalk, Barney could be forgiven for worrying that they might not all survive this economic crisis, but the Bar One supremo is not too concerned on that front.
"Dundalk is known as the gambling capital of Ireland. No matter what the economic situation, there is always a good spread of bets placed. The fact that there is no bookies opened up the North on a Sunday means that gamblers have to cross the border and Dundalk is ideally located in that respect."
Even though the customers are still coming through the doors, they still have to be enticed somewhat and Barney feels that the personal touch goes a long way.
"There are around 110 people employed in Bar One and fortunately no has had to be laid off. In fairness to the employees they have been very good understanding and whatever cutbacks have been made, there are still willing to work hard and we pride ourselves on the fact that our staff has a good rapport with the customers."
Bar One is a family orientated business and from its headquarters in the Ramparts, Dundalk, Barney, his wife Tracey and three daughters ensure that the company runs smoothly.
Barney does admit that it is becoming harder to compete in this technology age as online betting has become the new craze amongst gamblers.
"We are currently looking into the possibility of setting up an application for the phones. A lot of people placing a bet use their phones these days, but the downturn to this is that there is a 1% tax on all bets placed in betting shops and at tracks, which is basically there to support the bookmaking industry. However, when a bet is placed online or through the app on a phone, that tax is wavered and the betting industry is losing out on a fortune that way."
As the business grew, so to did Barney's interest in horses and he soon purchased a farm in Castlebellingham where Coolstown Stud was formed. His son Michael began training horses with a little help from his father and the reputation of the stud is growing by every year.
"Michael started off as a restricted trainer, which meant he could only train four horses at any given time, but he has earned his full licence since and we now have 16 horses in the yard.
"Last year he had 12 winners and 10 seconds, so we will be looking to improve on that this year and with the horses that we have, we are confident we can surpass that target."
Two years ago, Michael's reputation really grew when he entered three horses in a meeting at Naas and all three triumphed. Just 12 months later and Coolstown Stud nearly pulled off the same achievement.
"For the three horses to win in Naas that day was something special and something that doesn't happen too often especially for a trainer of Michael's stature at the time.
"We decided to see could we achieve the same feat last year and the first two horses won, but the last one came third, so we were unlucky on that front.
"We are really looking forward to the season ahead and I'm optimistic that we can produce a good few years over the course of the campaign." Tweet

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