AS the Galway Races prepares to welcome tens of thousands of racegoers once again next week, I am gearing up for my 31st festival. I have a long association with the track, dating back long before my first day in the office.

I grew up just across the field from the racecourse. My dad used to roll the track every year, and going racing was just something everyone did. It was the highlight of the summer.

Like many locals, I have great memories of attending the races every year as a child. It was a tradition. Everyone went racing. The whole area came alive for that week.

As the youngest of six siblings, I have vivid memories of being brought over to the free side of the festival every year. I remember meeting my dad each day at the crossing with a bar of chocolate to keep him going throughout the week.

I was sad to see the hurdy gurdys go, as I had so many fond memories of that area along with most people from Galway. My brother used to work in the car park each year for the week and my sister Geraldine worked in the AIR entrance scanning tickets for owners and trainers.

After finishing secondary school at Moneenageisha, I initially pursued studies in computers before switching to business at Galway Technical Institute (GTI). There was a job going in the race office, and my dad mentioned it to John Moloney, who was CEO at the time. That was it. I started in 1996 right before my 19th birthday and, I’ve been here ever since!

Although my title has changed and I now hold the role of Corporate Services Manager, I still do many of the same tasks I started with nearly three decades ago. My job has changed a great deal over the years but I still do the little things I did when I started.

Back then, we didn’t have systems like Future Ticketing. We hand-wrote all the orders into a big book, and Mrs. Gilligan would double-check them before they were posted out! There was even a typewriter in the office, not that I used it!

Do everything

Today, my responsibilities span everything from HR and hiring to operations, entertainment and invoicing. People always joke that I do everything but I suppose I’ve done so many race weeks that I just know where everything is and how it all works. I still answer the phones and put through orders, it’s just a lot quicker these days!

Over my three decades here, I have seen the Galway Races grow and transform, yet some things have stayed remarkably consistent. So much has changed, but in a way, so much is the same.

There’s still a Moloney in charge - Michael has taken over from John. And on the track, Gerry is now the course foreman, just like his dad was when I started.

The community ‘feel’ is definitely one of the best parts of the job.

There are so many seasonal staff who come back every year, it’s great to see the same faces. Even the customers, I know so many of them now. They remember me year after year.

Standout memories

With regard to standout memories, I’d have to say one of the busiest years, 2008 during the boom! I’ll never forget during the boom when 46,000 people turned up for Ladies Day. I actually missed it, I was on maternity leave with my triplets!

I just remember hearing all about it afterward and thinking, ‘Of course, that’s the year I’m off!’

However, for me, the real highlight has been watching the festival evolve. It’s just been incredible to see it grow year after year and get better and better.

Preparations for race week start almost as soon as the previous one ends. Once the October Bank Holiday Festival is done, we’re already thinking about the next summer.

It’s mad to think we spend the whole year getting ready for one week, but there’s just so much involved and so many moving parts. From booking bands to liaising with doctors and vets, I help ensures everything is in place for one of Ireland’s biggest sporting and social events.

And after 31 years, my passion hasn’t faded one bit!

Annette was in conversation with John O’Riordan