The Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park is now the world's richest greyhound race, with a total prize fund of £135,000 (€171,415) and a winner's prize of £60,000. The rejuvenated Shelbourne Stadium has had a dramatic increase in attendances. On the night of the Derby final, Gone to the Dogs (Saturday, 9.55 p.m., Network 2) goes on track to seen the opening of the new grandstand.
What does the future hold for the Olympics, asks Goldrush (Sunday, 9.05 p.m., Network 2) in this final part of the three-part series.
It also looks at the losers - those who came second or third or last. Many of them are completely forgotten, even if they were only hundredths of a second from victory. Others have had to face public accusations of having wasted taxpayers' money.
Farming and tourism can come into conflict when some farmers object to hill-walkers crossing their land. Ear to the Ground (Monday, 8.30 p.m., RTE 1) talks to farmer Andy McSharry who has been making what he believes is a legitimate protest over access to his land.
The programme also visits a group of Co Kildare farmers who have come together to share farm machinery in an attempt to keep costs down and deal with the severe labour shortage.
The Department (Thursday, 10.00 p.m., RTE 1) looks at how the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs tackles fraud and the black economy.
The programme focuses on two investigative officers in Donegal and their work in detecting individuals and businesses who are defrauding the social welfare system.
The newly independent former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan is sitting on six billion tonnes of oil, but it may not bring wealth to this tiny state with a population the size of London. That much oil should yield enough money to transform this poor state into a vibrant part of the global economy. And while the centre of the capital, Baku, is crowded with designer shops and restaurants, outside the city one million refugees are living in conditions that range from difficult to atrocious.
Unreported World (Friday, 7.30 p.m., Channel 4), the first of a new four-part series, tries to find out just who is benefiting from the oil boom.
sokelly@irish-times.ie
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