In Ireland, August is synonymous with
two major events--the Galway Races and
the Dublin Horse Show. Both involve
equine athletes, and both involve
Irish culture and both draw in a large
international audience each year. While I
can recommend attending both, I would
have to say that if you only have time
for one event this August, the Galway
Festival passes the line first.
Running from July 30 to August 5, the
Galway Festival takes place at Ballybrit
Racecourse, about 20 minutes away from
Galway's city centre. It embodies Irish
racing culture and is the perfect mix of
flat and national hunt racing. Four of the
seven race days are evening meets while
the feature day for anyone wanting to
have a punt in elegance, Thursday, August
2, is a day meeting. Thursday is also known
as Galway Hurdle and Ladies' Day which
means that patrons are encouraged to
dust off their glad rags. There is a Best
Dressed Lady competition as well as Best
Hat competition with an enviable prize of
€10,000 for the most fashionable lady at
the races and a €2,000 prize for the best
hat present on the day.
