EU goes to the DOGS - in Dundalk. By Martin Fitzpatrick >> Sunday Independent 16-4-2004

The good news for the punters at the Dundalk track next thurday is theyl get in for half the normal addmission price.

The reason is that the Co louth midweek sportsmen will be forced to rub shoulders with 200 polyglot guests, 18 of whom will be telecommunicationsministers and the balance composed of executive heads of multinational communications companies that are collectively worth 200 bn dollars.These giants of the teckieworld will of course be going in for free.

Its all due to our own communications Minister Dundalk man Dermot Ahearne who wants to bring Europe to the town, He plans to show them all over the insides of the Dundalk institute of Technology where he is hosting a conference on broadband on Thursday.But its the post conference entertainment thats getting everyone excited.

Previously when Dermot Ahearne had entertasined his fellow Euro ministers he took them on cultural persuits, like visits to megalithic monument at Newgrange and slightly less durable monuments such as Slane Castle which apart fron anything elsewere in the wrong constituency.

Then he remembered that the newest cosiest dog track in the country was a wee bit down the inner relief road.So with the help of Pascal Taggart, chairman ofv Bord na gCon, he has laid on a racing extravaganza.The cenrtepiece of which will be the Commissioner Lilkanen Chase a mad dash by six grumpy dogs and called after tellecommunications Commissioner Erkki Likanen.

The commissioner who hails from Finland and as far as most people know has never seen a tussle of Greyhound Champions before next Thursday will also have a chance to bet on the race named in his honour. All the 200 conference delegates will get a 20euro voucher entitling them to bet on the dogs.Minister Ahearnes office assured the SI that the e20 bets are being funded by B na gCon and not by either the Irish taxpayer or the CAP.

ACTION:

If people want to contact Mr Liikanen and inform him that having a race named in his honour is not necessarily something to be proud of, and that by betting on the dogs he will be supporting slaughter and abandonment, his address is below:

Mr. Erkki Liikanen
Commisioner for Enterprise and the Information Society
Rue de al Science 15
B-1040 Brussels, Belgium

erkki.liikanen@cec.eu.int