MY mother used to work for a Dublin bookmaker called Kilmartin’s, before eventually moving on to Ladbrokes as a shop manager. There was always chatter about horse racing in my house growing up. Some mornings my mother would take me into the betting shop with her (you’d never get away with that now!). I would help put bets through the camera and watch in awe as the human board markers (which don’t exist now) wrote the latest odds on the board. I think that’s where my love for the industry began.

Another early memory I have is looking forward to being allowed to pick out a few horses to place a bet on the Grand National. As a child, I also had a huge interest in horse riding. I was more into the show jumping side of things.

I can also remember my dad taking me into Arnotts for my birthday to kit me out with jodhpurs, boots, a black velvet helmet, the works. I gave up riding as competitive swimming eventually became my primary focus but it’s something I’d love to pick up again just for fun. Shark [Hanlon] is always saying I should go down to his yard and ride out, so I’ll definitely be taking him up on that offer this summer!

I knew I wanted to work in media. I went to Ballyfermot College which is a pretty famous media college and back then, the only one in Ireland. They were also the only college offering a BA Honours Degree in Media Production and Management. I didn’t even apply for any other colleges. It was Ballyfermot or nothing, and thankfully I got accepted.

A lot of my classmates work in media now – RTÉ television and radio.

Different jobs

At 18, I worked as a cashier in the shops for Ladbrokes. At 19, while I was still in college, I left Ladbrokes to work for Paddy Power in their Dial-A-Bet division. It was a wonderfully social job where I met many great friends and it was perfect because in-between taking calls I could study.

Even whilst only a part time staffer in Paddy Power, I was always super ambitious – pushing myself forward for promotions and new challenges. I asked a Dial-A-Bet Supervisor, Conor Grant, if I could move into the Teletext division. I went on to manage the teletext team, before moving back to Dial-A-Bet as a supervisor.

In 2004, Paddy Power advertised for a novelty entertainment trader. They were known for their occasional wacky bets, and they were looking for someone to take it to the next level. I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t have an economics degree but an economics degree is useless when it comes to pricing up Big Brother!

I immersed myself in the world of reality TV, increased the novelty market output to over 100 markets on the website, and despite being warned that novelties were loss-making, I managed to make the company a profit as well as deliver lots of media coverage. The most famous market I worked on was probably the election of the next Pope in 2005. I’m confident that if I went on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and a question came up around the Papacy or the Vatican, I’d be nailed on to get it right!

Evolving

Due to the amount of coverage I was securing for the company, my role quickly evolved and I joined the marketing team working alongside Paddy Power. My job became more about identifying publicity drivers, issuing press releases and working on fun campaigns while a newly recruited novelty trader took over the task of pricing the markets.

After a 10-year stint with Paddy Power, I went to work in different industries – telecoms and broadcast. In January 2023, I joined BoyleSports as its Head of PR & Sponsorship. Sport and racing are my first loves. I feel like I have come full circle and brought back a wealth of experience to the industry. I often joke that I didn’t learn anything until I left Paddy Power and that is 100% true. You learn and grow by experiencing different ways of working across different industries and different countries. The journey I have been on over the last 25 years has shaped me and hopefully shaped some of the good work we do.

Healthy growth

BoyleSports is enjoying really healthy growth and from my perspective across PR and Sponsorship, we’ve got some fantastic racing properties that I really enjoy working on – the Irish Grand National and more in the pipeline. Racing in general needs to do more to attract a younger audience and I definitely think they are moving in the right direction.

It’s not just personalities that build interest and excitement – it’s horses like Galopin Des Champs, Constitution Hill and even little Hewick. My hope is that racing enjoys a resurgence and that a whole new era falls in love with this great sport.

Sharon was in conversation with John O’Riordan.