Already this week we’ve told you how to keep that wallet ticking over at the Galway Races, but what about where to spend that quick buck? Here’s the best spots for tipping up fillies, dancing ’til dawn and meeting the stars.
The Champagne Tent (adjacent to the main Tote building)
So you’ve dusted down the suit for the annual pilgrimage in an attempt to look as suave as Alan Quinlan did when interviewed by Robert Hall on Monday evening. You’ve also gone and backed yourself a few winners and find yourself surrounded by Guinness-fuelled mates who are familiar with only the one brand of champers – the old reliable bottle of “Moate”.
Ah well, it’s time then to do what many do at the Galway Races when they’re up a few quid – pretend like they’re a somebody. Not only will you be €130 lighter in the wallet once you’ve treated the boys to a bottle of bubbly, you’ll have bought yourself a slice of exclusivity and brushed shoulders with the likes of Rosanna Davison, Glenda Gilson and, if you’re really unlucky, Daithi O Sé.
Hole in the Wall
For sheer craic and general mayhem, the Hole in the Wall down in Woodquay runs the only show in town. For the most part of the year it ferries out cheap drink to students but come race week it becomes the horsiest pub in the city.
Most top jockeys and trainers can’t escape the madness of the festival either and you’re guaranteed to bump or even crash into some of the hallmark faces of racing in the beer garden. Oh, I almost forgot – there’s also an ample attendance of fillies every night.
The Front Door
You’re either past the stage of making a tit of yourself on a club dancefloor next to bopping 18-year-olds ,or you’re in fear of getting caught up with an active retirement group for a few G&Ts. Don’t fear, as The Front Door on Cross Street (at the lower end of Shop Street) is your answer. Downstairs can turn into somewhat of a cockfest at times but make the effort to climb the stairs, squeeze past the desperate spinsters along the banisters and you enter a single man’s playground.
Taaffes
Shop Street on Wednesday and Thursday will be jammers, as per usual. It’s easier to back a Jim Bolger-trained winner in Ballybrit than it is to do the usual multi-tasking Shop Street trick of balancing your wobbly plastic pint, lighting a smoke and texting the lost lads. Nevertheless, don’t let the crowds put you off Taaffes, where you’ll get some serious banter, a blast of the bodhrán every night of the week and good Guinness. And it’s close to other popular wells like The Kinshead and Feeneys too.
The Radisson Hotel
On Ladies Night (that’s Thursday for all you Galway Festival virgins), the Radisson Hotel is the only show in town for schmoozing and boozing. “Prosecco, garçon!” is the call of order from every corner of every bar which entertains every socialite west of the Shannon. Yes, all 43 of them.
You’ll need to get there early, however, in order to beat the stampede. If you’ve gone racing on the Thursday it’s a good idea to leave before the last race and leg it into town to avoid the queues.
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