Bookmakers planning to picket Dundalk racecourse on its official opening night have been threatened with a High Court injunction.
The venue's CEO, Jim Martin, has written to representatives of the bookmakers threatening to apply for the injunction unless the protests planned for Thursday and Friday are called off.
Dundalk racecourse closed in 2001, and following a number of years of inactivity the course's management won the tender to develop and run Ireland's first all-weather floodlit horse-racing course on the site of the old course.
The INBA boycotted the inaugural race meeting, which was held on August 26th, 2007 as a "trial run" before the official opening meetings. It was attended by only 12 bookmakers, mostly from the North.
The INBA has said Horse Racing Ireland fast-tracked the issuing of permits to these bookmakers without carrying out the necessary background checks.
The bookmakers planning the picket are members of the Irish National Bookmakers' Association (INBA) and are supported by the Irish Racecourse Bookmakers' Assistants (IRBA).
Siptu Branch Organiser said the union had responded to Mr Martin explaining that "the INBA intends to hold a peaceful protest outside the racecourse and that the IRBA - which is a section of Siptu - intends to support it.
"As citizens of Ireland, we have a Constitutional right to protest in a peaceful manner. This is an inalienable right, and will not be denied by any Irish court," he said.
"Over eleven million euros worth of public money has been invested in the new facilities in the Dundalk racecourse".