THIS year the new three-day Galway Races October Festival takes place from Saturday October 27th through to bank holiday Monday 29th. It will have an exciting new look and feel with something for everyone.
As part of this new festival and with October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Galway is partnering with the National Breast Cancer Research Institute to host a dedicated fundraiser for the organisation on Sunday October28th called ‘Race in Pink’. The Institute is an Irish charity that raises funds in support of the research team lead by Professor Michael Kerin at NUI Galway.
Speaking about the special day, Michael Moloney, manager of Galway Racecourse said: “The team at Galway are proud to be working with Professor Kerin and his dedicated team to organise this event. By partnering with the National Breast Cancer Research Institute, we are supporting a research team who are successfully working on improving breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We have lots of plans for what will be a superb day where we, along with our racegoers and corporate supports, can raise money for such a worthy organisation.”
The team at Galway Racecourse have put together a fantastic hospitality package to create a fun-filled day for those attending. Guests will experience the ultimate day at the races with panoramic views of the racetrack from the iconic Killanin Stand after enjoying a drinks reception followed by a delicious three-course lunch with wine. A live band will keep everyone entertained. RTE Racing presenter Tom Lee will advise on likely winners.
To enjoy this great day of racing and support a great cause call the National Breast Cancer Research Institute 091 863 917 or email info@breastcancerresearch.ie. Tickets are €90 and corporate packages are available. For more information log on to www.galwayraces.com
On Saturday October 27th you can bring your children and grandchildren to enjoy the ‘Spooktacular’ Halloween themed family fun day. There will be lots of entertainment for children of all ages, including a fancy-dress competition with super prizes, Halloween games, face painting, Ghostbusters, dancing trolls, a giant game of Operation, inflatable wipe-out and a very cool new motor bike stunt show to mention but a few of the attractions. All weekend children under 16 will have free admission.
Bank holiday Monday October 29th sees the return of the annual ‘Student Race Day’ in conjunction with the Voluntary Services Abroad (a medical aid charity run by the fourth-year medical students of NUI, Galway), and the NUIG Rugby Club. Each year, this fundraising day for the student organisations raises a tremendous amount of money for their chosen projects, including the VSA annual summer volunteer trip to Africa where they use the funds raised to help projects at the hospitals they visit.
Galway is always keen to encourage racegoers and offer groups some attractive packages. One of these, which requires a minimum purchase of 10 tickets and must be booked in advance, costs just €27 per person. It is a real winner for sports and social clubs, and is available also for a group of friends.
The package includes an adult admission ticket, racecard, a €10 food voucher and a €5 drink voucher. It is available on each day of the October Festival meeting.
Patrick Mullins recently launched the Festival and commented: “There’s something special about Galway. With 21 races and over €335,000 in prizemoney on offer, I’m looking forward to some great National Hunt racing over the bank holiday weekend. I had great success there this summer and can’t wait to get back to the track.”