It's a Lock-in at Teach Fada as Kilskyre celebrates big win

The Lock Syndicate from Kilskrye rang Fairyhouse Racecourse last week to see if there were any corporate hospitality suites left. There weren't but they were promised champagne in the Ladbrokes suite if they won the 2012 Irish Grand National. And they duly obliged. At least that was the story going around the Ladbrokes Suite in Fairyhouse on Easter Monday evening, as Tom Gilsenan, Tom Gibney and the connections of Lion na Bearnai celebrated their 33/1 success. The 10 year-old had been available at 40/1 earlier in the day. It was a fairytale come true for the small group of Kilskyre connections, friends since schooldays, and their Navan jockey, Andrew Thornton, facing the might of powerful stables and owners for the €141,000 first prize. Gilsenan said that most of the syndicate members were from the area and had all been at school together - brothers, Mick, Pat and Pater Farrelly, Louis Leavy and Tom himself, while there were two members from Dublin, Declan Carolan and Russell Gleeson. "Even the jockey has an aunt in Kilskrye, so it's all local," he added. On Monday night, the celebrations continued at Teach Fada in Kilskyre.