By Nigel Moran, PorterShed

As the excitement builds across Galway for the iconic Festival of Racing, the PorterShed is joining the celebration with a special tribute to the event’s rich history – and its long-standing coverage in the Connacht Tribune.

For more than a century, the Connacht Tribune has been the go-to source for racegoers and locals alike, documenting everything from thrilling photo finishes to behind-the-scenes insights at Ballybrit.

Their coverage has captured the highs and lows of Race Week with an unmatched local voice, reporting on heroic wins, emotional stories, stand-out jockeys, and the festival’s evolution over time.

In doing so, the paper didn’t just report the races – it became part of their tradition, building a rich visual and editorial archive that locals return to year after year.

Beyond the racecourse, the Connacht Tribune’s connection to the Galway Races has always been deeply intertwined with the Galway community.

The paper’s annual coverage not only spotlighted the winners and odds but also captured the social and economic impact the festival brings to Galway city and county.

Through photo spreads of racegoers, profiles of trainers, commentary on local hospitality and reflections on the business generated during race week, the Connacht Tribune positioned itself as a cultural mirror of Galway’s most anticipated event.

Its journalists and photographers treated Race Week not simply as a sporting fixture but as a celebration of Galway’s identity, blending fashion, folklore, and fierce competition into its pages.

In doing so, the Connacht Tribune has helped preserve the story of the Galway Races for generations, making it a vital part of the festival’s history and heritage.

To honour this legacy, the PorterShed is showcasing a special outdoor exhibition of vintage photographs from the Connacht Tribune’s archives.

On display at the front of our Market Street building, these images will transport passers-by through decades of Galway Races history, celebrating previous Galway Races winners throughout the years.

Moments frozen in time, now revived for a new generation; from action shots on the track to snapshots of jubilant racegoers, it’s a living gallery of Galway’s greatest summer spectacle.

But this isn’t just a look back – it’s about the continuation of a storytelling tradition.

Where the Connacht Tribune once printed papers, we now power podcasts, share the startup journeys and continue to shine a light on what’s happening in the West. From capturing racecourse glory to fostering cutting-edge innovation, it’s all storytelling, just told through new mediums.

Today, the PorterShed is Galway’s innovation hub – home to startups, developers, entrepreneurs, and creatives.  And we continue to curate photographic displays to celebrate the Connacht Tribune’s photo archive.

These displays draw directly from its extensive visual heritage, some dating back to the 1960s and earlier.

The same walls that once echoed with the tapping of typewriters now buzz with tech ambition, and while original offices on Market Street have long since been vacated, the PorterShed continues to maintain a Connacht Tribune presence in Galway City by displaying archival photos printed in the past but relevant to current events.

Pictured: Nigel Moran works in Marketing and Communications at the PorterShed. The window display is curated by Cadhla Forde.