Galway Bay fm newsroom - Less than ten thousand people attended the 7th and final day of the Galway Races at Ballybrit yesterday - a drop of several thousand on last year.
While tote turnover was up on last year - there was also a considerable drop off in betting at the bookmakers compared to 2016.
Race officials are keen to stress the impact of yesterday's Galway-Tipperary All-Ireland semi-final on attendance figures.
Attendances were down significantly yesterday as just under ten thousand visitors passed through the gates at Ballybrit for the seventh and final day of this year's festival.
That's a decrease of over 4 thousand on the figure for 2016 - and represents a drop off in attendance of almost 30 percent year to year.
Tote turnover on the final day of the Galway Races finished at almost 716 thousand euro - a marginal increase on the figure of 712 thousand last year.
However, betting with the bookmakers was also down considerably compared to 2016 - from 741 thousand last year to just 424 thousand yesterday.
Yesterday also marked a cornerstone of the family fun weekends at the annual festival - Mad Hatters Day, where race goers attempt to capture the imagination with a wacky range of creative headpieces.
Kate O' Shea, from Kilkenny but living in Connemara, took the adult crown - while Lilly Walsh from Kilconieron took the top spot in the junior stakes.
