Changing times on the 2024 show scene

A year of changes, that certainly sums up 2024. Within the show world, the weather was one of the main culprits and caused the postponement of the first of 2024’s agricultural shows – Newmarket-on-Fergus.

A preference for all-weather arenas has already impacted show jumping and any outdoor event is always at the mercy of the weather gods in a committee’s bid to entice that all-important footfall.

Several shows, such as Charleville, Longford, Moate and Crossmolina – a super surprise package last year – have gotten the addition of family and musical entertainment down to a fine art.

Bannow and Rathangan is the day when the southeast downs tools and heads to Killag for this, ‘what to see next?’ value-for-money event.

One highlight was a special ceremony and souvenir booklet prepared by dynamo secretary Liz Freeman to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a cross-border initiative: an All-Ireland final for three-year-old horses, won in July by Sharon Kelly Murphy’s Annaghmore Dunkirk.

At this point, you could attempt to list as many champions as possible – and still run out of word count. While the glow of seeing names and photos in the paper has never waned, acknowledging the show secretary who stays up to 4am to complete paperwork or ‘Super Steward’ Brian Egan putting in 12-hour days at midland shows is this year’s theme.

Let’s also recall those ‘magic moments’ such as Paula Howard’s shocked-then-elated reaction after her Tullabeg Hello won the Balmoral young horse championship. Or years on from winning his first rosette at Louisburgh, Tiernan Gill’s quiet pride in winning the young horse championship.

Similarly, the delighted reactions of winning owners: Pat Hoare and daughter Kate, and Eamon and Gladys McArdle, after their Moylough Legacy and Lucarelli won the Irish Draught and thoroughbred stallion classes respectively at Dublin

Let’s not forget witnessing that little bit of magic, when on his first attempt, John McDonnell won the show jumping section of The Irish Field Breeders Championship with his CBI Ice Queen and Nice Queen.

In the year of the RTÉ Investigates exposé on the horse slaughter trade and conditions at Shannonside Foods, one meaningful antidote is the sight of well-cared for show stock and ex-racehorses’ second careers through Racehorse to Riding Horse classes and the Treo Eile series.

One of the best stories of the summer was young Paul Bohan, who doubles up showing his Gortfadda Herefords and Irish Draughts for his dad Padraig. He and younger brother Kian raised a weanling through the Next Gen Herefords scheme, sold him at Mohill Mart and donated the €3,220 proceeds to their local Alzheimer’s charity.

That’s a touch of class among the next generation after the pandemic proved a circuit breaker and we’re seeing less of the farmer-breeders who traditionally brought their mare or youngster on the show circuit.

Absent friends

Sadly, we missed more faces at shows: Bernard Byrne, a treble act with daughter Alicia and their Connemara ambassador Blackwood Fernando; Pádraig Hynes who bred the Canal-prefixed Connemaras; Michael Duignan, Horse Board member and judge; Tom Conlon, keen exhibitor; George Ledwith, pony exhibitor involved with the Midland Connemara Pony Show; Paddy O’Donnell, renowned judge and horseman; the Welsh Pony and Cob Society of Ireland’s Jane Williams and Irish Draught enthusiast; Stephen Keeley.

Another was the ISA first lady president Dorothea Lazenby, who was passionately proud of her local Carnew Show and a stickler for fair play.

Allister Hood was a loss on the UK show circuit. On a happier note, during summers spent at his yard, Aidan Williamson met his future wife Lucinda and their wedding took place last November.

Paul Cleary lost his former Coote Cup champion Lady Fassagh but bred the 2024 Balmoral hunter champion Madra Rua. And while the Anglesea Stand came down at the RDS, it hasn’t taken thousands of fond memories with it.

‘Do we honour our stalwarts enough?’ Westport and Clarecastle made presentations to Michael Ring, (the minister who saved agricultural shows through that funding lifeline introduced in 2018).

Athlone honoured its sponsors, landowner Michael O’Donohoe and young show jumper James Derwin at its launch. And Bannow and Rathangan put on that special pre-final ceremony for past winning owners.

Of course, there was Clarecastle’s ‘show within a show’ when Eilene Brennan, Cyril Conway, Paddy Quirke, Dick O’Connell and again, Michael Ring were the worthy recipients of this year’s Clarecastle medals.

Oscar time

Photo of the Year: Again, it’s the story behind the photo of a judge smiling in the rain during another long day. The late Sean Hardiman set the standard through his sterling work with the Irish Pony Society western region, and his grandaughter Shauna carries that on so well.

Show of the Year: Some exceptional shows this summer. One, though, continues to raise the bar every year. “[This show] should be called after Michael Slattery,” declared Michael Ring and similarly, Michael Blake and local TD Cathal Crowe heaped similar praise on another dynamo’s brainchild: Clarecastle Show.