The Galway Races are here again and the seven-day betting bonanza kicks off this evening at 5.10. The watering sprinklers were required at the Ballybrit course yesterday to maintain a safe surface for the many runners lining up this evening, but you won’t see too many damp spirits at Galway this week .
This year’s record prize fund that now exceeds €2m has, not surprisingly, grabbed the attention of several of the leading English trainers to add some friendly anglo-celt rivalry to the occasion. However Dermot Weld remains the undisputed king of Galway and Irish eyes will be looking to his Majestic Concorde in the highlight of day one, the GPT Galway (QR) Handicap to get the festival off to a flyer for the punters.
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On the 23rd of May this year the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Barak Obama can trace his ancestry back to a small Irish village. Further investigation revealed that the apparent location of these roots is the small village of Moneygall, County Offaly. Having conducted my own extensive research (5 mins on Wikipedia) I can reveal that his great great great great grandfather was none other than Mr Fulmuth Kearney, a shoemaker of the highest caliber by all accounts. Fulmuth emigrated to the United States in 1850 and set about setting up a life for himself in his new country.
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This past weekend I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of nights in Kerry staying at the fabulous Cahernane House Hotel in Killarney. If you are looking for old world elegance this is definitely the place for you. We were fortunate enough to get a room in the old part of the house which added to the charm and feel of the place. This said I am sure that all rooms are of a high standard. Killarney is a busy and vibrant town and it was really nice to be able to retreat to the tranquility of our hotel. It is a little out of town but still within walking distance or a short taxi ride if it is raining, which is highly likely.
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Our very own Padraig Harrington joined an elite club yesterday after successfully defending his British Open title at Royal Birkdale, comfortably holding off the late challenge of Britain’s Ian Poulter.
Harrington who hails from Dublin produced a magnificent s
econd shot at the 17th to seal victory as he retained the famous Claret Jug he won after a playoff against Sergio Garcia last year. He landed his second shot within three feet of the pin. “The five-wood is my favourite club in the bag,” he said. “I used the downslope in my favour and it came out nice and low. Once I hit it, it was perfect. It’s one of the few times I think I’ve heard my caddie say ‘Good shot’ to me before the ball is finished. I would have been quite happy with it on the green and take my chances with two putts.”
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Hi Liz
We returned from Ireland on Monday evening. It was a great trip.
We enjoyed the tour and had a nice group and tour guide to travel with. And the weather cooperated, too — it was misty for a few minutes on one day only, then the rest of the days were partly sunny and cool — like fall here. I loved it! What a treat to get a break from the heat.
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