The Board of Horse Racing Ireland has approved €2.1m in funding to contribute to a substantial redevelopment of Galway Racecourse.
€6m will be spent upgrading the racecourse, this will include a substantial redevelopment of the enclosure to the North of the parade ring.
The current long, narrow Tote Ireland building will be knocked down and replaced with a new building which will house a betting hall as well as bars and food outlets.
Construction will begin immediately after the 2017 Galway Summer Festival - and is due to be completed ahead of the 2018 event.
This project will also include a "modern champagne bar" - Galway Racecourse says that this will "provide a new level of comfort for Galway patrons on the first floor of the new building."
It will have capacity for 450 people and will open onto a terrace overlooking the parade ring, betting ring, and part of the racetrack.
Brian Kavanagh, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland welcomed the announcement, "Galway Racecourse’s new development will provide an attractive focal point in the enclosure and an improved level of comfort and shelter for racegoers.
"Galway’s seven-day festival is our most popular festival and HRI is happy to provide grant aid for a project that will directly benefit racegoers who head West every year," he continued.
Michael Moloney, Manager of Galway Racecourse also said that he believes that this reconfiguration "will significantly improve the racegoer experience which is paramount to maintaining Galway’s position as one of the highlights of the summer racing calendar."
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