High Society at Punchestown

Come the last week in April every year, Punchestown racecourse is the only place to be for the wealthy aristocrats of Ireland. Working in the corporate bar for the weeks racing you being to understand that old cliche, “how the other half lives” and how it is well and truly applicable to the setting I found myself in this week. From JP Mc Manus arriving in his helicopter every morning, serving Georgia Salpa and Ronnie Wood at the bar, or having a quick chat with Joe Schmidt while he waited for his Guinness to settle. On Thursday Jessica Harrington had the big winner of the week training the victorious Jetski in the champion hurdle. On her arrival back to the bar there was champagne flowing like a winning formula one driver, with corks popping left right and centre. Its moments like that when you see €120 a bottle champagne being thrown around as if it was nothing. Really and truly it amazed me. Not a care in the world money literally being thrown down the drain. Bollinger being wasted away plus tabs averaging out at €30,000 every day, its sacry to see how those with money can spend scandalous amounts on alcohol, that many of us would save up for years and years for our dream car or deposit on our first mortgage. Frightening stuff!