Racing-season boost for Ballinrobe

Ballinrobe back in businesses as race season begins next week


Ciara Galvin

THE Ballinrobe Races will bring approximately 40,000 people to the only racecourse in Mayo over the course of their nine meetings during the next five months.
Next Tuesday’s first meeting of the new season on May 5 will see an influx of punters, casual observers, bookies, jockeys and trainers visit the south Mayo town — bringing with them a welcome boost to the local economy.
The popular course cemented its reputation as an elite facility by winning the ‘Best Racecourse in Ireland’ accolade in 2013 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Ahead of the start of another season’s racing, The Mayo News spoke to some local business people to get a sense of how important Ballinrobe Racecourse has become to the local economy.
For husband and wife team, Trevor and Marie Burke, who own Flannery’s Bistro in the heart of Ballinrobe, the racing season has become part of their annual itinerary.
“Before each race meeting we always get the regulars, like the photographer Pat Healy, he always comes in, the commentator, the bookies. It’s a great turn for us,” explained Trevor Burke. “And then after the races we’re very busy with a lot of trainers coming in and regular customers who always travel to the races.”
The couple purchased the well-known premises in 2012, and since then each racing season has resulted in the couple hiring extra staff to cope with the race meeting patrons.
In total, eleven staff are rostered to work on any given Ballinrobe Races night.
“They’re all living locally and it’s great that they’re employed locally,” said Trevor.
“When we took over, regulars would tell us they have been coming to Flannery’s for 14 years and it’s great that they are still coming back.”
In terms of what could be done to help businesses in the area capitalise even more on the racing season, Trevor Burke highlights accommodation as being a priority.
“Accommodation and a venue to hold a Ballinrobe race night dance is needed. Ballinrobe is a busy busy course, it has one of the biggest totes, but we just need to try and keep people in the town after the races actually finish.”
Meanwhile, speaking about the boost her own business receives from the Ballinrobe Races traffic, Hilda Gilligan of Hilda’s Cafe Loire, referred to ‘the great buzz’ around the town.
“Guys from the Tote come into me before the races every year and it’s great to seem them,” explained the Ballinrobe native. “We’re closed when the evening races finish but we get people in beforehand. You can see a great buzz in the town,” explained the well-known singer, who has also entertained crowds at the races for over 15 years.
Although she no longer sings with her band at the racecourse, Hilda Gilligan performs in Costello’s Bar after all but one of the race meetings.
“The races are a great boost to me, personally, for the day and night and it’s great to be a part of eight of the nine race nights,” she admitted.
“But accommodation is the big thing,” she added. “We need options to allow people to stay in the town. Everyone pulls out the stops for the races and we don’t want people leaving the town.
“If people stayed they might be around the next day for breakfast, to buy the papers, coffees, etc. We can’t build a hotel overnight but we need to encourage people to stay around longer and utilise our shops and restaurants instead of elsewhere,” she concluded.