With only a
short time remaining as marketing intern for Horse Racing Ireland, this blog
allows me to reminisce and truly appreciate the worthwhile and enjoyable
experience this internship has been. Although not from a racing background, my
interest in racing accelerated during my undergraduate degree in Equine Science
at UCD where I completed my work placement at Darley Stud, Japan. After
graduating I made a conscious decision to gain as much industry experience as
possible and relocated to Switzerland to work in equine rehabilitation and
training, which then led me to pursue my MSc Equine Science in Hartpury College
this year. I applied for the internship as I felt it was the perfect
opportunity to further develop my career and expose myself to a different
aspect of the racing industry, and it has outdone any of my previous
expectations.
The
marketing team at HRI is small but each staff member is dedicated and has an
evident passion and talent for their role. Although no one day is the same, my
responsibilities as marketing intern include website maintenance, uploading
social media content to increase engagement, recording media content while at
race-days and events, producing weekly newsletters, monitoring media coverage
and assisting with press releases. As my educational background has been
primarily scientific, I have treasured the experience in marketing as it is
such a pivotal aspect in any successful company. Sophie O’Hare, Digital Marketing
Executive and Joanne Burke, Press Officer have been particularly helpful in
guiding me in my work and everyday duties. From day one the marketing team has enabled
me to get as involved as possible in a variety of tasks. Within my first week,
I accompanied Barbara White, Marketing and PR Manager, to Mutiny Studios to
record our radio racing campaign voiced by Peter Coonan. It was only a few days
later I found myself assisting with a photo shoot for Irish Injured Jockeys
featuring Ruby Walsh and the RACE apprentice jockeys. It is experiences such as
these that have given me a huge appreciation of the work that goes on behind
the scenes, and nothing can describe the satisfying experience of seeing and
hearing the finished product.
Sophie
O’Hare and Claire Rushe have organised numerous inspirational trips which have refreshingly
reinforced the amount of opportunities that exist here in Ireland. Our visit to
Kildangan Stud consisted of presentations from Joe Duffy, Gerry Kavanagh and Clodagh
Kavanagh who spoke about the importance of building a purposeful career and of
the unique opportunity the Darley Flying Start has to offer. We also spent an
equally riveting day at the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) headquarters
with informative talks from their office manager Kerry Ryan and Nessa Joyce of
the Irish European Breeders’ Fund (IEBF). I have also had the privilege to
volunteer for the Irish Injured Jockeys fund at this year’s Dublin Horse Show,
and our involvement has led a group of us to register for the Jog for Jockeys
run later this month.
I am now entering
my last few weeks with HRI, and have been lucky enough to assist with and be
present at the Longines Irish Champions Weekend launch. Held at the O’Reilly
Hall in UCD, the launch was a great success with guests including Ronan and
Jessica O’Gara who are this year’s Sport and Style Ambassadors, and many
leading players in the Irish racing industry. Racing Commentator Brendan
McArdle chaired an entertaining panel discussion which included Ronan O’Gara, Chris
Hayes and Johnny Murtagh. The event reflected what this spectacular race
weekend has to offer across two of Ireland’s premier racecourses, Leopardstown
and the Curragh.
Every member
of the marketing team has made an outstanding effort to be as accommodating as
possible and I have learned an invaluable amount which I am certain will
transfer into future roles in my career. I would like to sincerely thank all of
the marketing team for making my time spent at Horse Racing Ireland as memorable
as it has been. This experience has once again reinstated my desire to pursue a
meaningful and lasting career within the racing industry, and I have no doubt
that my experience in Horse Racing Ireland will help me along that journey.