Ok I have to admit when I was little and we used to visit my Grandpa he'd take us to the dogs ... and it's something I still love to do. Even though I sometimes feel bad about betting money on animals that are tricked into chasing a fake hare around a track, that's only because I love dogs (I never have this sympathy with horses as I think they should all be turned into glue...ok that sounds harsh, but they've never been nice to me! ).
That said Harold's Cross is a great night out. The first time I went in Dublin was for a friend's birthday. We had tons of fun, this was of course helped by the fact that I won 40 euros on my first bet. I've been to Harold's Cross a bunch of times because it's closer to my house than the Shelbourne. Though admittedly the Shelbourne is a bit nicer and cleaner, good times are still to be had at Harold's Cross. Now another night a friend and I went and we managed to lose on nearly every bet we had placed, had a few pints, and some dinner and in total we spent around 100 euros, which we would have quickly spent on a night out and instead we had tons of fun!
Just make sure you check out the website before heading over because Harold's Cross and Shelbourne alternate opening nights. read more