The ‘Galway Knees up’ Ladies Day after party at the Galway Racing Festival 2009 is in its first year and has almost sold out. Tickets for the event are becoming a rare and valued commodity, with anticipation rising over the plethora of celebrity faces and quality auction items available on the night. Among the star-studded guests will be MCs for the evening Karen Koster and Hector O h’Eochagain. Champion jockeys Ruby Walsh and AP McCoy will also host tables on the night, together with many other well known names from the world of racing and business.
Taking place on Thursday, July 30 at the Hotel Meyrick, the ‘Galway Knees Up’ follows Ladies Day at the Galway Races. The event is set to become an annual event in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF ). The auction items all kindly donated to the IHF will help make this event a hugely successful fundraiser.
Guests will have the chance to bid on a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Bono. This is a unique guitar created by Fender in London and was donated to the Irish Hospice Foundation. Bono and his two daughters Eve and Jordan were involved with this special project and Bono autographed the guitar. The guitar went on tour as part of the Rock Chic Guitar exhibition and is now back with the IHF and up for auction at the ‘Galway Knees Up’ event.
Padraig Harrington has generously donated an autographed driver for the auction, which he used to capture his second consecutive British Open Championship title in 2008, a feat which took him to number three in the world rankings. This piece of Irish sporting history is valued at €10,000 and is expected to fetch much needed funds for the charity.
Galway milliner, Emily Jean O'Byrne has also created a one-off piece designed specifically for the event auction. The hat is entitled ‘The Golden Glory’, and reflects the colour and liveliness of the event and its cause. The colourful piece, made from lime green crinoline, olive green silk ribbon, and black Swarovski crystals, also features a canary yellow silk rosette. The piece is delicately finished with spiraled quill’s lime, and gold and olive green pheasant feathers. “While designing this hat for the Galway Knees Up event I wanted to incorporate what the event was about and the foundation involved. The result is a hat that I hope represents all of this.” commented Emily Jean O’Byrne.
Tickets for this event are €100 per person which includes a drinks reception, three course meal, and entertainment. For further information and bookings visit www.galwaykneesup.com, www.hospice-foundation.ie, or email [email protected]
