IFELT very lucky to start in Punchestown for my second placement as although this was somewhere new, I had experienced working at the track before, having worked at the 2017 festival for the week, which enabled me to get to know each member of the team.

I can honestly say I have never worked in an office environment like Punchestown before, and I can see why Dick O’Sullivan prides himself on the team here.

From day one I was made feel very much at home and there is a great sense of camaraderie among all the staff. Everyone prides themselves in their work and in the beginning I found it quite unusual that no one seemed to be in a hurry to leave work every evening!

It’s an office full of people all with the same mission - to make Punchestown nothing but a success and have fun and a laugh while doing just that, and in my eyes, they nail it!

The office in Punchestown is a very open environment where every opinion is valued no matter what your job is. It’s not until I started here that I realised how much work goes into the organisation of the festival.

Over 125,000 people don’t just happen to arrive at Punchestown in April nor is over €3 million in prize money raised easily. So much hard work goes on behind the scenes every day for months leading to the festival.

I was extremely lucky to have been part of the team here at a time when the new Hunt Stand was launched for the 2018 festival. The €4 million development has been the “pet project” of Richie Galway and Shona Dreaper who left no stone unturned to ensure it opened to great fanfare on April 24th. The new stand is a credit to all those involved in the planning and building of this fantastic amenity.

My job in the lead up to the festival was mainly ticketing and general administration. I’ve only ever worked outdoors for most of my life and I never thought I’d be able to say that I enjoyed office life as much as I have here. Punchestown really is unique!

I can’t thank Hilary Cahill, Liz Fay and Leona Hughes enough for all the help and support they’ve given me since the first day I walked in and a special thanks to Stacey Forde, who took me under her wing, showed me the ropes and was always willing to answer any questions I had no matter how busy she was.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this placement. It has been a privilege to have been part of this team and I wish them all the very best for the future.