Sports
Moloney leaves behind lasting legacy as Galway track boss
IT’S been his stomping ground for over 27 years and during that time he has been the chief driving force in turning Galway Racecourse into one of the best equipped sporting venues in the country.
On the eve of his last summer festival in charge, John Moloney’s vision and relentless quest to keep improving the facilities at Ballybrit ensures his legacy as manager of the Galway track will stand the test of time.
When the curtain comes down on the most popular fixture on the Irish racing calendar on Sunday week, he will walk through the gates at Ballybrit for the last time as the man who pulled all the different strands together.
But the Moloney template for keeping the Galway Races to the forefront of the Irish sporting consciousness is set to continue through his son Michael, who will now take over as General Manager after departing a similar role at Plumpton in the UK.
A native of Knocklong in Co. Limerick, Moloney arrived in Galway in the late spring of 1989. The summer festival was long since established as one of Ireland’s great sporting occasions, but he has taken the week-long meeting to a new level in conjunction with a progressive local racecourse committee during his near three decades at the helm.
In terms of infrastructure alone, Galway racecourse is simply unrecognisable from its appearance in the late eighties. Under Moloney’s tenure, two new Grandstands, the Millennium (1999) and the Killanin (2006) have been built, together with a new amenity building (1994) embracing the Owners & Trainers Bar, a modern catering facility, and an upgrade of the Race Committee’s own amenities.
On top of that, a new development beside the parade ring in 2004 saw the provision of a modern weigh room, media centre, jockeys’ room and offices, while a traffic underpass to improve access to the racecourse was opened in 2001.
Subsequently, the green light was given for a pedestrian tunnel, while the Mayor’s Garden at the West end of the enclosures was also extended. Significant improvements to the track itself have been ongoing with extensive draining work carried out in recent years.
In total, Moloney estimates that over €50m has been spent in upgrading Galway during his time as manager and he praises the Race Committee for their forward planning and energy. “Everything we did was a team decision and we were always looking to upgrade our facilities and the track.”
Given the huge volume of racegoers who descend on Ballybrit every summer, regularly topping 150,000, Moloney also derives significant satisfaction from their successful traffic management plan which has helped eased congestion to and from the racecourse. On Ladies Day in 2005, a record crowd of 52,000 came through the gates.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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