Bonanza week helps businesses to stay afloat
And despite the recession, locals and visitors are still spending scarce cash during the town’s seven-day race meeting.
There are now fewer than 20 public houses in a North Kerry town that once boasted maybe a dozen or so more. Without revenue generated during race week, a few licensees would be put out of business, according to publican Billy Keane.
“There’s nothing nicer than to hear the till singing after the long silence. We can hardly keep the ball pucked out to them [the drinkers].”
Many private homes become B&Bs for the week, offering a warm welcome to repeat visitors year-after-year — a factor which helps to create a friendly and convivial atmosphere.
Locally born people, many domiciled elsewhere, also return for the September spectacle, which is now in its 154th year.
They include punters such as Willie Sexton and his brother, Jerry, the father of rugby international Jonathan Sexton.
Many men turned on the style yesterday and the winner of a male fashion competition was Sean O’Donoghue from Cork Rd, Killarney, known to his friends as “The Gentleman Farmer”.
Winning for a second time, he wore a brown pinstripe suit with a matching hat and shoes.
One of the judges, Listowel-born Miss Universe Ireland, Aoife Hannon, described Sean’s suit as “a risky outfit” that caught many an eye.
“There was a great mix of style and lots of hats; most of them treated it as a bit of craic. They were certainly more relaxed than the women about their fashion,” she said.
Runners-up in the Moriarty’s Drapery and Menswear-sponsored event were Dan Green from Moyvane, Co Kerry, and Joshua Kelly from Strokes Place, Listowel.
The attendance was smaller than usual yesterday but crowds are expected in large numbers today for Ladies’ Day, with a prize worth €2,500 for the outright winner.
