A thousand punters a day descend on Ballybrit as the annual Galway races kicked off on Monday.
As one of the biggest horse racing events of the year, the Galway Races, welcomed almost 130,000 people in 2019.
Organisers have said this year's event will be strictly controlled in accordance with public health advice, and guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid will be adhered to. Meaning this year, the event will be considerably smaller.
Originally organisers had hoped to welcome 5,000 spectators a day. However, this number has been lowered to 1,000.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Galway Races said, "We received confirmation that we will have 1,000 race goers daily at our Summer Festival.
“While disappointed, we endeavour to make this year’s event an enjoyable experience for those that attend and those tuned in at home.”
If you aren't one of the lucky few, who will get to attend the races this year, you can tune in from home.
RTE will be broadcasting live from 5pm until 7pm. Viewers can also stream the coverage on the RTE Player or through the RTE Player app.
The first two races and the final race of the say will be shown on Racing TV.
There will be 52 races over the seven days with over €1.8 million worth of prize money on offer.
The feature race highlights will include the Tote Galway Plate on Wednesday and the Guinness Galway Hurdle taking place on Thursday.
The seven-day festival will adhere to strict protocol created by Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.
This years event will be fully outdoor with no indoor dining.
In previous months the Ballybrit Racecourse has been home to a vaccination centre much like Punchestown Racecourse in Co. Kildare.
