Michael D Higgins among 20,000 punters at day three of the Galway Races

Almost 20,000 punters and one president packed out Ballybrit for the big race of the week — the Galway Plate.

In Ballybrit, a president can mix with the punters, such is the happy-go-lucky nature of the event.

President Michael D Higgins is an annual attendee at the festival and has been coming for years — long before he got the top job at the Áras.