Race Week Yay or Nay

antoobrien

I laugh at people who claim they get out of town because of the races crowd I really do. For a lot of people race week was when they could get time off, because the office/factory closed down, so they didn't really have a choice in the matter it was the traditional week to go away, especially if you didn't care about racing.

There are a lot of the horsey people that are not staying in Galway any more. I was talking to a fair few people that told me they were coming from Meath, Kildare, Carlow etc on day trips for 2, 3 or 4 days with one of them acting as dessie for a day. It's now possible for these people to get 4 days racing in for about €200 travel entry & accommodation, where if they were staying in town it could cost closer to €1k.

As for the "trouble" (I saw the aftermath of a scrap on Thursday that had the ARU present, so it was probably more than just your run of the mill drunken fight - something else that has changed since the 80s and 90s), it's the same shower of s**ts that turned rag week from a fun trouble-free week to something that had to be banned.

Big crowds in Galway for race week are nothing new, unruly behaviour is not in the slightest bit unusual for race week, especially Thursday - because it brings out a different crowd. And it's a fact of life that where big crowds are, trouble & a mess follows very closely behind - the amount of arrests and messes at various large music gigs being an example of "normal" people creating the same kind of trouble as is seen in Galway for race week.

antoobrien

I should also add that for anyone that thinks that a mess outside supermacs or fighting in town is unusual, either didn't live in Galway in the late 90s, were too young and/or had their heads buried in the sand.

Supermacs on the square was regarded as a place to avoid if possible, as almost every weekend there was a fight and arrests. People started avoiding the taxi rank and walking away from Eyre Square so as to hail cabs off the street in order to avoid being near the square.

There were calls to prevent supermacs et al from opening so late as they were seen as being the reason that so many people were congregating in town (this was around the time of taxi deregulation when there were maybe 100 taxis on at the time).

pleasant Co.

Is the argument bring made that because things happen in a certain way change should not be expected, nor should it's attainment be sought? That's a damning reflection on Irish society, something I'll gladly not be a part of.

I'll repeat my early post that i do want the races, I'd just like a more respectful crowd to show up, I'm not truly asking for much at all.

antoobrien

pleasant Co. wrote: »

Is the argument bring made that because things happen in a certain way change should not be expected, nor should it's attainment be sought?

No, the argument being made is that this is neither new or unusual and those who are attempting to use "normal" behaviours of abnormal amounts of people to paint race week in a bad light are really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

I'll repeat, the scale of the "problems" associated with race week are on a par as those associated with other large gatherings. There are often more arrests at smaller gigs than there would have been for race week, but somehow race week is especially bad.

pleasant Co. wrote: »

That's a damning reflection on Irish society, something I'll gladly not be a part of.

So will you encourage people to stop going to music gigs over the stabbings last year in the phoenix park? All I'm doing is to point out that the only thing abnormal about the "trouble" of race week (and rag week) is the scale and that people who try to deny that are being more than a bit myopic at best, hypocritical at worst.

The damning reflection is not that these things happen, as they will happen in any society. Without trying to bring religion or moralistic arguments in, there is a values problem in this country. The self centered nature of people now means that they are less willing to be community minded (i.e. not make a mess of the place, not going around hitting people etc), resulting in the kind of behaviour being complained about. This does not change during race week, it just becomes more obvious.

No, the really damning reflection is the fact that people get away with it so often, that it's now - regardless of the time of year - okay, even desirable to some, to be an utter scumbag in public.

Do you remember when supermacs was a no-go area any Saturday night if you were alone? It's not all that long ago and had nothing to do with the celtic tiger madness (supermac himself did something about it by hiring bouncers and it sorted itself out in short order).

pleasant Co. wrote: »

I'll repeat my early post that i do want the races, I'd just like a more respectful crowd to show up, I'm not truly asking for much at all.

I want the same but not limited to the races/rag week/<insert event of choice>.

Eeden

antoobrien wrote: »

I'll repeat, the scale of the "problems" associated with race week are on a par as those associated with other large gatherings. There are often more arrests at smaller gigs than there would have been for race week, but somehow race week is especially bad.>.

Kind of, but not really. Certain events definitely attract different crowds, some of whom are more inclined to be wild. For example, Volvo Ocean Race vs Rally. Arts Festival vs Races. Leonard Cohen gig vs Swedish House Mafia gig. Macnas Parade vs St Patrick's Day Parade.

vkid

My family go every year but i havent been since about 2006. Not my thing at all really. They all came back from 2 days in Galway this year and said never ever again..just kids getting hammered, puking, fighting etc. My brother in law is a galway man and he reckoned it was the worst he'd ever seen it.
Went to the dentist yesterday and she had the same story...never again. If they don't clean it up, there will be a lot more people saying never again. Its not cheap to go there, by any measure its a very expensive few days in Galway and people won;t pay for that kind of thing for too long more imo..

bigpink

Seems to be a big day out for underage/messy students/village idiots now

Greaney

I'm a 'nay'. I understand it's an injection of cash to the city, but we have to spend it again to clean the place up or take a holiday after.

1) I grew up in a Pub & then a B&B. The pub was a bit out of town so that wasn't too bad. B&B was full up on race week, we'd have to use the incontinence sheet's on the beds because 'guest's would get so plastered they'd wet the bed.
2) I lived in Doughiska and especially around 2005-6 the place was like Vietnam with the Helicopters going all day
3) Traffic
4) Weird tarty wedding gear!! Irish race going attire used to be wearing your 'Country Tweeds', you know, the kind of clobber the English Queen wears in Balmoral. Much more suitable to the Irish Climate
5) Sleezy oul fella's.... some oul geezers think it's okay to sexually harass the young women who work in Bars etc.:(

doolox

Similar to other natives on this thread, family used to run a B and B and had to "manage" the races by filling up with regular family middle aged types after a few unfortunate experiences with young people not able to hold their drink.

Races are too profitable to be stopped or curtailed in any way though.

Glad I don't live in Galway at this time of year as it is too small to handle large crowds it gets during the summer.

Now live in Dublin and it doesn't seem to have the same level of problems except for Temple Bar etc and you can easily avoid that.

Ludikrus

doolox wrote: »

Now live in Dublin and it doesn't seem to have the same level of problems except for Temple Bar etc and you can easily avoid that.

That wouldn't be my experience. I just spent a weekend in Dublin and it seems to have a lot more serious problems to me. In the space of a few hours we encountered anti-social behavior on the Luas to St. James's Gate. We were asked for money three times by different drunks/junkies around the Guinness storehouse area and again by kids openly smoking cannabis on O'Connell street.

antoobrien

Ludikrus wrote: »

That wouldn't be my experience. I just spent a weekend in Dublin and it seems to have a lot more serious problems to me. In the space of a few hours we encountered anti-social behavior on the Luas to St. James's Gate. We were asked for money three times by different drunks/junkies around the Guinness storehouse area and again by kids openly smoking cannabis on O'Connell street.

I agree with you on that, Dublin is much worse, however while I lived there I never took any notice of all that crap. It took being pointed out by visitors for me to realise just how bad it was, considering that happened every time I went to the city centre.

As for temple tip, the less said the better.

ben.schlomo

doolox wrote: »

Similar to other natives on this thread, family used to run a B and B and had to "manage" the races by filling up with regular family middle aged types after a few unfortunate experiences with young people not able to hold their drink.

Races are too profitable to be stopped or curtailed in any way though.

Glad I don't live in Galway at this time of year as it is too small to handle large crowds it gets during the summer.

Now live in Dublin and it doesn't seem to have the same level of problems except for Temple Bar etc and you can easily avoid that.

In what way is it too small to handle crowds? Makes no sense.

steel_spine

Greaney wrote: »

5) Sleezy oul fella's.... some oul geezers think it's okay to sexually harass the young women who work in Bars etc.:(

Haha, used to work in an internet cafe in town - During Race Week, the number of auld fellas looking for prostitutes in galway online/complaining that the internet wasn't working right (because most of the sites found when googling 'Galway Escorts' were blocked) goes through the roof. :pac:

It was a pain in the hole to be honest because other customers'd often get uncomfortable and leave when the guy next to them was looking up hookers profiles, and they never closed the pages when they were done.

ScumLord

JillyQ wrote: »

I am a Galwegian & go racing two or three times during race week.

Are you one of the horses? Did you win anything?

JillyQ

ScumLord wrote: »

Are you one of the horses? Did you win anything?

In answer to the first of your questions haha no. To the second one yes off course i backed a few winners.

MadYaker

I don't live in the city centre so it probably doesn't annoy me as much as people who do but I don't have a major problem with it. Traffic is a lot worse which can be annoying if you get caught when everyone is going to or from the race track. I generally avoid going out during race week because everywhere is just too packed, Monday and Tuesday are ok, but Wednesday and Thursday are horrible. I don't know how anyone who comes here could enjoy it on those 2 nights.

MadYaker

MadYaker wrote: »

I don't live in the city centre so it probably doesn't annoy me as much as people who do but I don't have a major problem with it. Traffic is a lot worse which can be annoying if you get caught when everyone is going to or from the race track. I generally avoid going out during race week because everywhere is just too packed, Monday and Tuesday are ok, but Wednesday and Thursday are horrible. I don't know how anyone who comes here could enjoy it on those 2 nights.

Crowds mean craic and atmosphere, I love the Wednesday and Thursday nights myself!

MadYaker

I agree to a certain extent, an average Saturday night in Galway is great. But wednesday and thursday during race week are just too crowded for me, its no fun when you have to queue and pay a fortune to get in anywhere and it takes 30 mins to order a pint and the same to get food at the end of the night. I don't like pubs when they're so packed you can barely move. I am glad it happens though purely because it brings a ton of cash to Galway every year.

antoobrien

MadYaker wrote: »

I agree to a certain extent, an average Saturday night in Galway is great. But wednesday and thursday during race week are just too crowded for me, its no fun when you have to queue and pay a fortune to get in anywhere and it takes 30 mins to order a pint and the same to get food at the end of the night. I don't like pubs when they're so packed you can barely move. I am glad it happens though purely because it brings a ton of cash to Galway every year.

I was in Ti Neachtain on the Thursday & Friday night and there was no problem getting drinks. The queue for the facilities was the worst -only time I've ever seen longer queues for the mens than ladies.

Heno97

Tuesday through Friday is invested with scumbags,I find the rest of the week pleasant though

MadYaker

MadYaker wrote: »

I agree to a certain extent, an average Saturday night in Galway is great. But wednesday and thursday during race week are just too crowded for me, its no fun when you have to queue and pay a fortune to get in anywhere and it takes 30 mins to order a pint and the same to get food at the end of the night. I don't like pubs when they're so packed you can barely move. I am glad it happens though purely because it brings a ton of cash to Galway every year.

I just stick to drinking on the street around cross and quay street as that's where all the craic is (thursday night was the only night where it got too bad this year weather wise and we somehow got seats in Kirbys at about 11pm so had great comfort.

As far as queuing for drink :pac:, we just bring a heap of hipflasks and naggins with us and drop in and out of the shops for a mixer. The shops are open late so you don't even need to carry mixers around and getting plastic pints glasses is easy. I'd have had plenty of pints up at the racecourse during the day and in the earlier evening so after food I'm ready for spirits anyway. Saves money too which is badly needed when you do 4 or 5 nights in a row race week like I do on top of being racing the 7 days.