President Higgins to present the Galway Plate

President Michael D Higgins will present the Galway Plate at Ballybrit this afternoon.
Galway Plate Day, one of the best known days in the Irish racing calendar, gets underway at 3pm.
The Galway Plate has been running at Ballybrit since 1869.
The longstanding race is run over a distance of 2 miles 6 furlongs with fourteen fences to jump.
The last two fences, three furlongs from the finish, are the closest fences together of any racecourse in the world.
President Michael D Higgins will present the winner of the tote.com Galway Plate in the winner’s enclosure this afternoon, and says he’s delighted to have a day at the festival.
So far this week, betting and attendance havebeen up – with almost four million euro wagered during the first days.
Almost 40,000 people have already paid a visit to Ballybrit.
President Higgins says the races are an opportunity for people who’ve emigrated to visit home.
The first race this afternoon gets underway at 3pm, and Gardaí are advising motorists to follow their traffic instructions.
Gardaí will be out in force over the week to ensure a steady and safe flow of traffic.
Garda Marcus Flynn says motorists travelling to and from the city should avoid the racecourse before and after race meetings:
This morning, trainer Dermot Weld and his sparring partner Jim Bolger were conferred with Honorary Doctorates by NUI Galway.
66 year old Dermot Weld was introduced Dr John Newell, senior lecturer in Biostatistics.
71 year old Jim Bolger was introduced by Professor Michael Kerin – professor of medicine at NUI Galway and Research Director of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
Both were conferred with honorary doctor of arts degrees.
And a reminder live coverage and analysis of the Ballybrit Races on Galway Bay fm.