MY family have a long association with racing in this country, dating back to the early 60s. Dad’s parents had the gate house at the Phoenix Park Racecourse and he was the keyholder when I was a child. By then, he had moved out to Blanchardstown to start a life of his own but almost every waking hour was spent at the racecourse. As soon as we were old enough, us kids used to tag along, helping out with whatever needed to be done.

I have always enjoyed working and interacting with people so school and studying never really appealed. My dad, Gerry, had started producing branded number cloths in the early 80s, so was busy in that role throughout my teens. I helped out at every possible opportunity, be it weekends or school holidays.