‘The atmosphere and craic here is unreal’

DARREN O’SULLIVAN - THE CASTLE BAR

IT’S a great four days, especially the way it’s falling this year with all the other sporting events taking place that week.

Tuesday is the start of the Festival and we run a charity event that night with ‘Dingbats for Charity’ which will have a Cheltenham feel to it.

Wednesday is our locals’ day and we’ll have prizes for the Best Dressed man and woman competition. Later that evening we’ll have music with Sean and Noel McCord and this is a great day for the locals. It all starts again on Thursday and we’ll have Martin Hurley and Bongo John that evening. The way it’s falling this year a lot of people will be off on the Friday so Thursday night is shaping up to be a good one.

On Friday, which is Gold Cup Day, we’re asking people to go green for Paddy’s Day and that speaks for itself!

In terms of the rollover we’re hoping to reach 200 entrants this year which would equate to €20,000 in prize money and every penny is given back out in prizes. That’s a serious kitty with probably €6,000 of that going to the winner. Last year’s rollover came down to the last race where a 28/1 winner won it for them. The atmosphere here is unreal and some of our customers have said it’s the same as being at Cheltenham with the craic.

“It was generally believed that Vincent brought over to Cheltenham the local Cork water in milk churns so that his horses would not be digestively disadvantaged by changing to the English stuff.” – From the biography of famous horse trainer, Vincent O’Brien.

Enjoying the racing during last year’s Cheltenham Racing Festival at Turner’s Bar, Castle Street, Tralee.

The atmosphere is electric during the closing stages at Cheltenham Racing Festival.