New Racetrack Set to Be St Paddy’s Mane Attraction
Edinburgh’s famous Three Sisters believes it has backed a dead-cert winner with a bold plan to create a horse racing track in its grounds as the centrepiece of its St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Our photo shows the delivery of enough kegs of beer to keep customers happy over St Patrick’s day weekend.
More than 60 members of staff have been drafted in to help the pub to develop a mini Cheltenham racecourse, complete with a track, grass and “horses”.
The Three Sisters, famed for its annual St Patrick’s Festival in Edinburgh’s Cowgate, has planned the unusual sports event as the main feature of its four day Irish-themed celebrations which begin on Friday 14 March.
But any animal lovers can breathe a sigh of relief as no real horses will be involved – instead girls from Queen Margaret University’s Gaelic team will be trotting out against male students from Napier University’s Gaelic team in pantomime horse costumes.
The races will take place on St Patrick’s Day Monday 17th at 2pm when the two teams will battle it out to be crowned winner of the Three Sisters’ Gold Cup.
Donal Hurrell, General Manager at the Three Sisters, said: “Every year our St Patrick’s Day celebrations attract thousands of people so this year I wanted to liven things up and go that extra mile or Furlong.
“We’re going to have four days of celebrations this time with the main horse racing event taking place on St Patrick’s Day. We’ve got horse costumes, fake grass carpets and a fully padded course ready for the students to challenge so it’s going to be a great laugh seeing them race against each other around the course.
“Every year the atmosphere down here is electric but I think these races will definitely add that extra lively touch that makes St Patrick’s day so great. The races are just one part of the celebrations so hopefully we’ve managed to find something that everyone will enjoy.”
Non-racers can also take part by checking-in on The Three Sisters Facebook page and collecting Paddy Pounds at the bar allowing them to place bets on their favourite horses for a chance to win prizes. The races will also be streamed live on flat screens throughout the pub and court yard area.
In addition to the horse racing, there will also be a DJ set and exclusive meet and greet with Boyzone’s Shane Lynch and Keith Duffy, a Garth Brooks cover band complete with line dance instructor, acoustic music with Raymond Considine, Irish dancing by Rhythm Jig and a performance of Lurgan v Avicii by YouTube sensation Seo Linn.
Donal added: “Being Irish myself, I try to offer the best St Patrick’s Day experience in Scotland. We’ve got everything from the guys in Boyzone and Irish dancing to horseracing so there’s no excuse not to be down here at The Three Sisters this St Paddy’s Day and joining in on the great craic.”
The team at The Three Sisters will also be setting out to smash their record of pouring 10,486 pints of Guinness in one day.
For more information on The Three Sisters, go to www.thethreesistersbar.co.uk.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
