Galway Races crowds only slightly down despite midweek washout

The Galway Racing Festival has retained its status as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the Irish racing industry by attracting a combined attendance of 127,468 over the seven days.

A drop of just 4,647 in the attendance figures compared to 2012, when over 132,200 paid through the Ballybrit turnstiles, is seen as a remarkable figure given how bad the conditions were at the track on Wednesday and Thursday – the two biggest days of the festival.

Just over 13,300 people enjoyed the balmy conditions on Sunday and the total attendance for the week was 127,568 as against 132,215 for 2012, which was a remarkable figure when one recalls just how bad conditions were here on Wednesday and Thursday.

The most significant decrease was on Thursday, or Ladies’ Day, when the attendance dropped by almost 10,000 from 37,033 last year to 27,669.

It was a far cry from the ‘Celtic Tiger’ era high of 53,820 on Ladies’ Day in 2006, when a fleet of helicopters transported punters from the city centre and Salthill out to Ballybrit.

There was also a significant drop on Wednesday, when 14,038 turned up at the Ballybrit course compared to 18,145 on the same day last year.

Proving that the weather was a huge factor last week, the Friday attendance rose from 20,368 to 23,555 on the day when many locals traditionally make a pilgrimage to the course.

“It has been a great festival and there have been so many highlights. I must thank everyone who has come here this week.  The weather didn’t help us on Wednesday and Thursday but even allowing for that, we had almost 28,000 people here on Thursday,” said Racecourse Manager John Moloney.

The awful weather in the middle of last week proved to be a boon for city centre businesses, as many pubs, restaurants, hotels, and bookmaker shops noticed a big upturn in trade as punters opted for comfort rather than making their way out to the track.

“It was quiet out on the track, but our shops were heaving in town on Wednesday and Thursday,” said bookmaker Eddie Mulholland of John Mulhollands.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel

g�� :N�^����areast-language: EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA’>Last year a swan had used the waterway opposite Don’t Call Me Dear for a nest. This year she has not returned as the bank of weeds is so overgrown it has almost cut off the flow of water altogether.

“Everyone on Nuns Island is concerned with this unsightly mess. We’re hoping someone will take ownership and fix it and bring it back to the way it was and have a management plan,” said Irene.

The waterway has escaped public attention because most of it goes along the back of private houses, as opposed to the Eglinton Canal which has long been used as a strategic tourist walkway.

Read more in today’s Connacht Sentinel