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Galway Races!!

UL2008

2 weeks to go!

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Mshellster

Does anyone have any info or experiences to share regarding waitressing at the Galway Races? My younger sister got some work there for the week in the new stand and doesn't really know what to expect! Heard it's quite fancy, anyone waitress in the new stand before have any insight? Thanks

padi89

snubbleste wrote: »

Hopefully the Garda will crack down on revellers and adopt a zero tolerance approach just like what happened during Rag week to other adults who keep the economy in Galway going.

There is little if any trouble every single year of the races, arrest numbers are always very low for the amount of people around. The comparison with rag week is way off the scale.

cats.life

cactus86 wrote: »

am i the only one who cant stand them?

oh no your not, its only an excuse to go mad with drink and to keep the guards bizzzzzzey. hate the thought of galway races.

amiable

cats.life wrote: »

oh no your not, its only an excuse to go mad with drink and to keep the guards bizzzzzzey. hate the thought of galway races.

Well as i said before each to their own but i think the benefits outweigh the negatives in race week. Its great for the city in general.

evil_seed

padi89 wrote: »

There is little if any trouble every single year of the races, arrest numbers are always very low for the amount of people around. The comparison with rag week is way off the scale.

Grown-Ups > Students :pac:

gaeilgegrinds1

I never said it wasn't great for the city, it's just a royal pain when you're trying to get anything done! I've made my fair share off it in the past, used to babysit in the Glenlo and my God did I make my fair share out it those years. Just when you are a bit settled I find it all a bit too much, one of the quieter days is always so much more enjoyable to me lately. Don't get me wrong, when I was younger I loved it. Tagann ciall le haois is dócha.

Arnold Layne

Its crap for the quality of horses running, but a good buzz all the same. I've always covered my losses with "Glorious" Goodwood thats on the same week in the UK. Ladbrokes is great to have onsite to be able to bet on both.

Fozzie Bear

I'm one of those who can't stand the races. I have lived in Galway since 1995 and have only every once attended. The company I work for sponsor races and all the staff get free tickets and dinner at the track. Still have not used the free tickets. Give them to friends or just don't take them. Granted horses are not not my thing and I have not got a clue about odds and laying bets much less how to read the form. But the crowds, traffic and general inconvenience for locals are what do my nut. Something as simple as getting out to Salthill for a walk on the prom or into town to do some shopping or the cinema become hellish ordeals. I also cannot abide the poser as*holes who like to flash the cash and brag about how much they won/lost on a horse while flying in and out by helicopter with some tango'd orange umpa-loompa blond bint wobbling along behind in high heels.

I used to go on holidays for the races when I lived in town, using up a weeks allocation. Thankfully living and working in Oranmore means I miss all that crap these days.

I can still see the benifits of the races to Galway and the fact that some peoples entire year is building up to that week. I don't want to see it banned (anymore) or anything. Its for one week of the year which I can deal with it.

padi89

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

But the crowds, traffic and general inconvenience for locals are what do my nut. Something as simple as getting out to Salthill for a walk on the prom or into town to do some shopping or the cinema become hellish ordeals.

In all fairness the traffic issues and crowds are only for two days on Wednesday and Thursday and are only on the east side. The other days are an awful lot quieter, at worst you will be slowed down at the entrance to the track for a few minutes but that's to be expected.

snubbleste

Road to be closed off.
Council approves idea put forward by vested interests motivated by profit (group of publicans).

A stage for musical entertainment is to be erected outside Monroe’s Tavern as Dominick Street closes to traffic from 7pm to 2am between July 29 and August 1. A glass exclusion zone will be enforced between Lower Dominick Street and Henry Street

[Deleted User]

It should take some of the pressure off the quay street area.

[Deleted User]

Deleted User wrote: »

It should take some of the pressure off the quay street area.

Quay street/cross street is the place to be race week though so will people go down there. Couldn't see myself going down there, then again I wouldn't normally venture down that side of town anyway.

snubbleste

Sasha Narrow Suntan wrote: »

Quay street/cross street is the place to be race week though so will people go down there. Couldn't see myself going down there, then again I wouldn't normally venture down that side of town anyway.

I thought the place to be was the Racecourse?

[Deleted User]

snubbleste wrote: »

I thought the place to be was the Racecourse?

/shakes head.

Obviously and I will be at the racecourse everyday of the races, but I was obviously referring to going out after the races!

onemorechance

Maja wrote: »

-few reasons:

*horses (I dont think they enjoy it at all - have seen one few years ago with leg open fracture - horror)

*it's a gambling - dont like the idea of it at all.

*the whole background of it is just such a kitsch.

Its just a cheap enteintainment thats it.

(there are bigger horse races in town when I come from and nobody cares really (just some really interested people) and thats because there is more interesting things to do (for young people) that going to horse races!)

:cool:

In what way are they bigger in your home town of Poland?

Is there over a quarter of a million spectators over the race meet?

Is there over two million in prizes?

Or is it just that everything is bigger and better back in Poland!

And if you consider the Galway races as cheap entertainment, how expensive are the race meets in your home town of Poland?

snubbleste

Sasha Narrow Suntan wrote: »

/shakes head.
Obviously and I will be at the racecourse everyday of the races, but I was obviously referring to going out after the races!

Was not very obvious. Obviously.
Thought I saw an ad in the paper saying the place to be was the Clayton

onemorechance

snubbleste wrote: »

Was not very obvious. Obviously.
Thought I saw an ad in the paper saying the place to be was the Clayton

Was it an ad for the Clayton?

[Deleted User]

snubbleste wrote: »

Was not very obvious. Obviously.

Fair enough I thought we were on the subject of town after the races rather than the races themselves.

civis_liberalis

Deleted User wrote: »

It should take some of the pressure off the quay street area.

The cops won't get a wink of sleep in the barracks though.

WallyGUFC

Anybody have any tips?:p

padraig71

WallyGUFC wrote: »

Anybody have any tips?:p

Leave town for the week and come back once the hordes have departed and the rain has washed away all the urine and vomit.

padi89

padraig71 wrote: »

Leave town for the week and come back once the hordes have departed and the rain has washed away all the urine and vomit.

Rag week is over

Mrs OBumble

WallyGUFC wrote: »

Anybody have any tips?:p

The races best money-saver: the number 9 bus and the back gate.

(#5 on this map)

shaggykev

I can't believe its only a week away now

I agree with most posters here. The quality of the horses on show is poor enough except the Plate and Hurlde but that photo of quay street is what its really all about.

Drink. People always moan at the bookies for "making a fortune". Thats nonsense, they can actually lose a fortune if the results go teh punters way. But the pubs are the only show in town guaranteed a fortune.

So are they trying to split the crowd up and get more people down dominick street as opposed to quay/cross street this year?

[Deleted User]

padraig71 wrote: »

Leave town for the week and come back once the hordes have departed and the rain has washed away all the urine and vomit.

And miss all the craic?

Wompa1

Last year wasn't so bad so hopefully it won't be too bad this year either. Usually a horrible time to be working anywhere around town. The recession can be good in some ways!

Maja

onemorechance wrote: »

In what way are they bigger in your home town of Poland?

Is there over a quarter of a million spectators over the race meet?

Is there over two million in prizes?

Or is it just that everything is bigger and better back in Poland!

And if you consider the Galway races as cheap entertainment, how expensive are the race meets in your home town of Poland?

Dont be oversensitive about it. I never said everything is bigger and better. We dont have cliffs and the ocean.. :rolleyes: Racecourse is bigger, but as i said it's not that popular, because people just prefere other types of enterteinment like music for example. There is many open air festivals during the summer with world class musicians - which i dont know why never happens here..

Wompa1

Maja wrote: »

Dont be oversensitive about it. I never said everything is bigger and better. We dont have cliffs and the ocean.. :rolleyes: Racecourse is bigger, but as i said it's not that popular, because people just prefere other types of enterteinment like music for example. There is many open air festivals during the summer with world class musicians - which i dont know why never happens here..

That's a good point about the lack of open air concerts alright. Unfortunately Galway being the size of my left nut its not going to happen. Somebody said earlier in this thread about wishing the races was treated like the Volvo Ocean Race. That would be great but it might take away from the races themselves, people might be less inclined to bother going to the track and just hang around town until the gigs start. Just my opinion..I much preferred the Volvo Ocean Race to the Horse racing, the crowd seemed so much nicer. The pretentious types sat in their boats so they were less noticable. Seemed all types were around town.

And saying that, Where I lived we always noticed suspect caravans appearing around a few weeks before the races which would then vanish just before the end when houses would have been broken into or shops robbed....

The races gave me one of my favourite Galway memories ever though. A guy all slicked up wearing a suit eating out of a bin outside Charcoal Grill down by the Funeral Home. That image was a symbol of the races for me.

Working in and around town is terrible because without fail every year loads of people take off work for the races leaving places with skeleton staff during a period in which Galway has hundreds of thousands of people around. Even now working in a profession which isn't retail its a tough week because so many people are off and the traffic is terrible and its usually pretty noisy within the city.

onemorechance

Maja wrote: »

There is many open air festivals during the summer with world class musicians - which i dont know why never happens here..

Your invites must keep getting lost in the post!

Wompa1

onemorechance wrote: »

Your invites must keep getting lost in the post!

I think he/she means in Galway. Why does that website list one in Athlone as being in Galway. Does the Arts festival have open air concerts or is it just the tent and Raddison, Roisin type venues?

Bring back Beat on the Street. I believe the original concept of the Arts Festival was concerts show casing local talent...that has since gone out the window.