FOR THE estimated 1,500 workers at the Galway Races – not including jockeys, trainers, bookies and stable staff – yesterday marked the last day of a hectic working week.
Some 147,648 people came through the turnstiles at Ballybrit over the seven days (only 3,119 fewer than in 2010), bringing in an estimated €60 million for the local economy.
Every year the festival creates temporary jobs for bartenders, cleaners, parking attendants and a whole host of other workers.
For Brendan O’Beara, festivals like this one have been his source of work year-round for the past 20 years.
For 12 years, Mr O’Beara has worked as a part of the security team at Galway, last week manning the entrance to the stables, where the horses are kept in between races.
“You are putting away [from the stables] up to 20 people a day. Usually they don’t have any malicious intent, they tend to be just drunk, lost or curious or trying to sneak into the racecourse for free.”
Inside are countless stable staff, who carry out all the basic work that needs to be done with the horses to have them ready to run.
In there last week were Josh Cahill from Co Clare and Mark Foley from Tuam, Co Galway.
“You’re exercising them, washing them, feeding them, keeping them relaxed really so it’s as close as possible to a normal routine for them,” Mr Cahill said.
“It’s a long day,” Mr Foley said. “You’re there from half five to maybe 12 o’clock.”
As the primary handlers of the horses during the day, a certain amount of pressure falls on the stable staff when the race comes around.
“When it’s going well there is no better job but when a horse runs bad, it’s terrible – they’re just like people, some are awkward to deal with, some are really easy,” he added.
Out in the main part of the racecourse, alongside the hordes of paying punters, dozens of cleaners could be spotted throughout the days picking up the hundreds of bottles and discarded betting slips thrown to the ground.
“I always check but no, no winners,” said Juleane Carvalho (20), who came to Ireland from Brazil in March.
“It is a nice job, there are nice people here, a man gave me a box of chips one day.
“It’s much better than Oxegen,” she added, where she said the wet weather and general drunkenness made for tough working conditions.
For many young Galwegians, the beer tents at the races provide an excellent opportunity to gain much-needed work experience.
“It’s tough enough but it’s great to get the experience behind a bar,” said Kenneth Hansberry (18) from Claregalway.
“It’s a tough enough week, you’re in early for stock check and then we don’t stop serving until an hour and a half after the last race, so it’s a long day.”