Pat O’Hare may only have stood 5ft 5in tall, but what he lacked in height, he made up for when operating as an on-course bookmaker, where he was a fearless layer at the racetrack.
Pat came from humble beginnings in John Martin Gardens in Newry to become one of the leading bookmakers in Ireland, operating from over 40 pitches on either side of the border and in Britain, including Cheltenham.
He had a brilliant brain for figures and a gut instinct for the margin that served him well throughout his long career.
Pat lived and breathed racing and was still standing ‘on the box’ taking bets at the age of 80, and talking business right up until a few weeks before his death aged 93.
Tributes described him as a gentleman bookmaker of the old school whose wit and generous nature made him a popular figure wherever he travelled.
Pat first caught the racing bug while accompanying his father, a dog grader, to Newry’s two greyhound tracks.
But rather than watching the dogs, it was the Belfast bookies that captured his imagination, helped no doubt when they threw the young boy a few coins when he sold them the race cards.
After leaving school Pat worked in a chemist’s and although offered the opportunity to train as a pharmacist, he had no interest in furthering his studies despite encouragement from his employer.
Instead he did an apprenticeship in a bookies and went into business himself, supported by his wife Rose, at The Mall in Newry, concentrating initially on greyhounds.
After securing a southern licence, Dundalk was the first racecourse to have an O’Hare stand, and as he started to buy and sell pitches, he quickly moved up the ladder and built up a huge on-course business.
He also opened SP shops in Newry and Dundalk, but always preferred the thrill of live racing – he loved the cut and thrust of the betting ring. It appealed to his razor-sharp mind for mental maths and the challenge of taking on the competition.
He only stood down from the box in his eighties, with his sons Damian and Robert continuing to work the business under his name Pat O’Hare Bookmakers.
Pat also had success with start-up companies outside bookmaking. Always entrepreneurial, if he liked a person with promising prospect, he was prepared to invest. Notable success included starting CPV in Clones and Suretank in Dunleer.
Pat lived and breathed racing and was still standing ‘on the box’ taking bets at the age of 80, and talking business right up until a few weeks before his death aged 93
He loved gambling even when retired, was an avid football fan, and loved to plot campaigns whether it was Champions League or World Cup – he had a position on virtually every game.
He also enjoyed travelling, whether it was cruises across the world or long sojourns in Spain, as well as driving a good car. He had itchy feet if he was home too long so could be found well into his late eighties on Skyscanner looking for cheap flights.
Pat O’Hare died on January 25 at his home on Newry’s Dublin Road. Predeceased four years ago by Rose, he is survived by his children Jaqueline, Dorothy, Pat Robert Damian and Barbara, grandchildren Patrick, Cathal, Aileen, Tom, Katy and Faye and family circle.