Rarin’ to go in the city of the tribes
In this week’s 350th Association of Irish Racecourses(AIR) column, Leo Powell looks ahead to an exciting summer racing festival at Ballybrit.
Celebrating the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, Galway Racecourse hosted a ‘Galway City Engagement Event’ in Ballybrit, inviting local businesses that look after their racegoers each summer, while also presenting their plans for the much-loved and iconic Galway Races Summer Festival.
This meeting takes place over seven days, from Monday, July 31st to Sunday, August 6th. As part of this event, Galway also launched their early bird ticket, with a tasty €8 off each ticket for just 10 days!
Commenting on this week’s event, Michael Moloney, the CEO of Galway Racecourse, said: “With all eyes on our sport this week with Cheltenham, we launched our special early bird ticket offer, with €8 off tickets for 10 days only, never to be seen again for 2023.
“It offers superb value for our loyal racegoers, and we want to reward them, for their loyalty. Each year we receive huge local support, so this event is key for us as we want to share our plans and strengthen our partnerships. All of this has been key to the success of Galway. Our relationship with the city, and our proximity to it, sets us apart as a racecourse nationally and internationally.
Much more
“The Galway Races Summer Festival is much more than a week of horse racing; it’s a celebration of our wonderful city, Galway, and the warm Irish hospitality on offer. The people and businesses of Galway take pride in rolling out the red carpet for visitors throughout the week.”
Moloney continued: “We’re always looking to improve what we do and how we do it, based on customer feedback and trends. So this event is a great way for us to get more feedback from local businesses. The Galway Festival contributes more than €58 million to the economy of Galway City and the local
region.
“Over €23 million is spent in the immediate locality on accommodation, travel, eating out, entertainment and beverages. Businesses throughout the city experience a massive increase in turnover during race week, which translates into additional employment in the city, in addition to the swell of employment at the racecourse in the run up to and during the weeklong Festival.
“The vision of the Galway Race Committee and management of the racecourse is to ensure that we remain a market leader, continuing to grow and evolve as a racing destination, and maintain our contribution to the economic life of Galway City and the wider region”.
The team at Galway is busy plotting and planning for July, with some new initiatives up their sleeves. So be sure mto watch this space! Make certain to get your tickets now and before the special discount offer ends. Galway Races, as always, is also offering great entertainment, dining packages and much more. For more information on the Galway Races Summer Festival check out galwayraces.com.
The Association of Irish Racecourses wishes Galway Racecourse well as they prepare for a busy summer Festival.
AIR would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the Irish winners from Cheltenham over the past few days. A special thank you to Honeysuckle and her devoted team for providing many fantastic moments in racing throughout her career and wish her the best in her retirement and her new career at stud.
By Leo Powell
