Ireland's investment in Olympic sports has paid rich dividends - but can we say the same for racing?

Last week's Galway festival encountered an unenviable clash with the greatest seven days in Ireland's sporting history, an unprecedented medal-a-day haul during the opening week of the Olympics, with Kellie Harrington's putative bronze of last Wednesday transformed into a glorious gold late on Tuesday night.

By Team GB standards, Ireland's Olympics achievements may seem modest. However, in terms of population size and viewed in a historical context, the 2024 squad has punched above its weight in the same fashion we have often done in the less globally significant sport of horseracing.

Medals in swimming, rowing, boxing and gymnastics are testaments to successful high-performance programmes that have benefited from state funding, extensive and well targeted without being outstandingly lavish.