Monksland Hat the toast of Connacht

Monksland Hat: Not really, but the Galwegians version of Lassie

A story - discovered online and not yet entirely verified, but it's a classic - out of Ireland that once again bears testament to the number of people within the game still struggling against adversity, just like the good old days!

Connacht's ground is pretty unique, even in the modern days of ground-sharing. The Galway Sportsground's other sport is not soccer like English clubs, nor is it gaelic football, nor hurling, nor any of those other noble Irish sports.

No, it is the action-packed and slightly whiffy world of greyhound racing, which explains sand track around the edges of the pitch.

Most of Connacht's home games are played on a Friday evening, which is also the night that the local dogs are raced against each other, for an astonishingly practical reason.

Aside from the obvious benefits to all of being able to watch some rugger followed by having a flutter on the hounds - beneficial in terms of bums-on-seats numbers to both rugby club and greyhound racing organisation as well as the double-dose of sport to get the blood pumping - the local licensing laws only permit the sale of liquor on race nights.

So if the rugby team played on, say, a Sunday, all those driven enough to get down to the ground and give the boys a cheer would not be able to even have a couple of pints/nips to ward off the cold.

This, then, was the crisis facing Connacht last Sunday as Leinster rolled into town. Not only playing the Magners champions, but without a crowd even vaguely lubricated enough to raise the gusto at the appropriate moments.

Enter an anonymous genius, who suggested that some form of canine racing might be organised at the last minute to negotiate the irritating by-law.

And so it came to pass that a short while before kick-off, one lone and slightly miserable-looking greyhound by the name of Monksland Hat was ushered into his trap, and released to complete a lap of the 500m racetrack in a highly respectable 29.99 seconds.

It was an official 'trial' lap, condoned by the dog-racing association body, and constituting an official greyhound-racing event on the day.

The licensing bods played along very gamely and let the thronging green-clad masses water themselves liberally with ale as a result of this magic half-minute of canine athletics.

And the result? Roared on by a healthy crowd, the locals upset the reigning Magners champs 19-18 to record their first win of the season and provide a season's worth of bragging rights for the Galwegians over the Dubliners.

So Monksland Hat, for services rendered to the game and personal sacrifice for the greater good, we at PR salute you. Sláinte!