My father was a part-time bookmaker, who stood at the old dog track in Cork, as well as the southern point-to-points and the trotting races on the West Cork and Kerry circuit. From the age of nine or 10 I used to clerk for him but in those days it was a very different business - the country was flooded with bookmakers and you had to bet for five years before you had any chance of getting a pitch on the track.

I got my own licence at 19 and stood at my very first point-to-point at Lisgoold. I was so nervous, but within a few minutes it seemed like second nature to me and I was shouting the odds as good as any of them.

Similar to the track, you start off at the end of the line, in no man’s land, and it takes time before you move up the ranks. Every time I won a few hundred my father advised me to buy a new pitch further up the line, despite the fact I’d rather have spent the money!

College never appealed to me, so after school I got a job working with Paddy Power. It was ideal as I was able to take Thursdays off to stand at Thurles, and with no Sunday racing in Ireland at the time, I stood at point-to-points at the weekend. I also had week nights free to stand at the dogs in Cork. However, that ended with the introduction of evening racing. By that stage I was manager of a Power’s shop on Pembroke Street but I only lasted two nights once the new fixtures came in.

I took out The Examiner and started looking at the jobs section and found the ideal role, job sharing as a medical receptionist. I was able to continue at the dogs, point-to-points and midweek racing, while at the same time holding down a regular job. When I became pregnant with my son, I decided to try bookmaking full-time.

In 2001 I visited the Cheltenham Festival with some friends, and blown away by the crowds and the atmosphere, when I returned I said to my father that we had to buy a pitch there. Eventually the two of us joined with a friend and bought a pitch, although it is much more difficult in Britain as you have to set up a company.

Somehow, Channel 4 got word that an Irish girl was coming over to stand at the Festival and they sent Brian Gleeson to do a feature on me. The piece was broadcast the Saturday before the races began and after watching it, John McCririck told TV bosses that he wanted to interview me on the Morning Line.

After the show went out, I was invited back again the following day, and soon it became a regular slot every year. It certainly did my profile no harm and I had loads of people coming up to me at the races, just to say hello and tell me they had seen me on television - they also had a small bet as well!

Bookmaking is a very different business now and it is much harder to make a living. A large chunk of the market has gone online and every second person has a smartphone, people in Ireland and Britian have less money and the big punters aren’t there anymore.

When I stood at Cheltenham three years ago, I was looking at queues of people waiting to place £2 bets. Despite the downturn on track, the point-to-point scene remains as strong as ever. I still bet at the points and there is no place else I would rather be on a Sunday - if it came down to a date with George Clooney or Killeagh point-to-point, George would just have to wait! As it became more difficult to survive as a bookmaker, I found myself looking for other ways to make a living.

The turning point came at Ladies Day, Killarney Races July 2012 when I found myself looking around at all the incredible fashion. I began thinking about where the ladies got their umbrellas, gloves and other accessories. I couldn’t find anywhere with all those items under one roof, so the idea or Fab Fillies was born - an online store where ladies can buy accessories, not just for Ladies Day, but for weddings and all sorts of special occasions.

Ladies Day has become a huge phenomenon in recent years, so much so that my son refers to it as Ladies Day Disease!

I hope that with the help of my website, I can help women source the accessories they need to make the day all that they had wished for and I am really looking forward to the coming year, as I plan to redesign the website and introduce new stock.

Ellen Martin was in conversation with John O’Riordan