It was hats off on the final day at the Galway Races on Sunday August 2 as the festival closed with the ever popular Ireland West Airport Knock sponsored Mad Hatters competition. The bad weather wasn’t much of a hindrance as Ballybrit was awash with creativity and fashion as adults and children alike flocked to the course in huge numbers with their most creative, outrageous, and surreal headgear.
For the second year running Eithne Staunton from County Mayo walked away with the top prize of a holiday for two adults and two children to Lanzarote from Ireland West Airport Knock which was sponsored by Sunway Holidays. Staunton’s hat this year was a towering Volvo Ocean Race creation symbolising this year’s hugely successful event which had a stopover in Galway. A huge amount of work went into making this hat and Staunton was a worthy winner on the day.
Local Galway milliner Emily Jean O’Byrne was the judge on the day who had the very difficult task of picking a winner from the array of spectacular designs.
Commenting on the day Donal Healy, marketing executive, Ireland West Airport Knock, said: “We were delighted once again to have been associated with a great fun day for all the family. It was great to see such an array of creative, and in some cases, wacky hats on display. I was delighted to present the first prize yet again for the second year running to Eithne Staunton from County Mayo who yet again beat off some very tough competition with her spectacular Volvo Ocean Race creation. Eithne is becoming a bit of an expert at winning this competition and I’m sure she will be back again next year to try and make it a hat-trick of victories in the competition.
“Thanks also to Sunway Holidays who sponsored both the first and second prizes of holidays to Lanzarote from Ireland West Airport Knock and I’m sure given the wet weather all week the winners will be delighted to get some well earned sunshine in. The airport is delighted again to have been associated with the Galway Races in 2009 and this annual event strengthens our link with our customers in the west and we hope again to support this great event in 2010.”
