A Day at the Races
6 July 09

It's not everyday that you lose money and still come away with a smile on your face, but that's what happened after our day out at the Curragh for the Irish Derby festival!

We were very kindly given the chance to attend the races by Tamarisk Doyle of Horse Racing Ireland. The event ran from the 26th to the 28th of June and had the added bonus of the 'Taste of Ireland' food festival, which featured some of Ireland's top restaurants and chefs.

So on a sunny Saturday last weekend, suited, booted and sporting our shades - looking like the cast of Ocean's Eleven, myself, Evelyn and a few friends headed off to the racecourse with a couple of tips up our sleeves, and dreams of returning home that night with slightly more money than we left with!

We got the train down and arrived just in time for the first race and quickly managed to make our first losses of the day. However, these were soon forgotten as we strolled around taking in the buzz around the course, the incredible style and all the sounds and smells of the 'Taste of Ireland' tented village.

The races continued, as did our losses, but we were kept distracted by events in the tented village. With the sun shining and live music playing, we sampled some of the food prepared by celebrity chefs including TV favourites Nevin Maguire and Kevin Dundon, the Michelin-starred Oliver Dunne, Derry Clarke, Ross Lewis and Richard Corrigan.

Evelyn even managed to get a few pictures as well, and she is pictured above with Kevin Dundon and Paolo Tullio.

After finishing all our food sampling we made one more attempt to win some money on the horses and whilst Evelyn, boosted after her celebrity encounter, managed to have a big winner, I continued my losing streak and started the journey home with a much lighter wallet!

Thanks again to Tamarisk for asking us to attend the festival. The weekend was a great success and the transport, weather and organisation of the event and the food festival ensured that even those like myself who had lost a few euros enjoyed the day greatly!

- Tiarnan O'Sullivan