Punchestown covered for festival loss but concerned about long-term impact

The confirmed loss of the Punchestown festival will come as a hammer blow to the local economy in Naas and the broader Kildare area - although there will be some small degree of succour for the track itself as it is insured against the coronavirus.

An independent study undertaken by the economics department in NUI Maynooth in the middle of the last decade found the five-day gala was worth €64 million to the various tourism and leisure sectors in the region.

That is a valuation that will likely have grown since then, so, apart from the obvious cost of its cancellation to the racing industry, it will also hit hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and many other businesses in the locality hard.