People come to Galway not just for mysterious stories, gorgeous castles, and beautiful Irish nature. Galway is a place of various festivals, fun, and crowds of people. 

There is a city of holidays all year round. One celebration comes to another, it is continued by a third one… Some of them are cherished only by the locals, others are popular within a country, and some are famous worldwide. One of them is the Galway Horse Racing Festival. 

Beautiful, noble creatures… these are not just horses. The jockeys are also looking very good! This is adrenalin and unforgettable feelings!!

This is an event with a long history! For 200 years in July, people have gathered together to look at the races. Initially, that was a show for kings, but today everyone can see it. The first hippodrome was built in the Hallway at the end of the 19th century. That time the entry was allowed for 40 000 spectators. Ships and trains, transporting horses, came to Galway from the whole country.

The first race took place to the stadium of Ballybrit in the village of the same name in the surroundings of Galway. The stadium is still functioning. There took place the legendary 7-days races. Every August thousands of people make bets and gather on the tribunes to watch the beautiful horses. Someone wins, someone does not. But it is not the point! Visitors come here to get incredible emotions!

In 1979, 280 000 people came to the stadium of Ballybrit. They were on the tribunes, around them, close to the stadium. They took stools, clothes, backpacks, and containers with food. The children sat on the shoulders of their parents and waved joyfully. But they did not look to the stadium, they turned the attention to the sky, There, above them, was a helicopter