Like the legendary hero of ancient Irish lore Lugh The Long-Armed, Tiernan Gill is the “possessor of many arts.” Businessman, horseman, family man, volunteer, he brings generous and effective expertise to all of them.

His motto – “If somebody does not do it somebody has to do it,” is a sound west of Ireland approach that has worked well for him.

As we began this interview at headquarters of the Gill Group in Ballina, one might have expected to start with RDS successes but no! This self-effacing man, who is more liable to heap fun instead of praise on himself, began with a little Shetland pony mare named Beauty.

“My mum Maura and dad Tiernan bought her to keep down the grass on the one acre of land behind the house they built here on Church Road,” he recalls. A felt saddle arrived next, and up went Tiernan, never to really come down. “I love the horses and in a sense they are my de-stressor from the pressure of business.”

He oversees the Gill Group, consisting of four companies trading in oil, advanced driver training, gas and stable bedding. It employs 50 people and has 26 trucks on the road.

It takes a bit of doing, yet he finds time to be a husband and father. He and his wife Caroline, who hails from Killala, are parents to Alli and Alex. Alli has ridden Lead Rein at the RDS and Alex is going well on the 128cm Bailey.

Early rosettes

Following on from Tiernan’s first pony Beauty came Joanna. Bought from Frank Gordon, they had great success in both ridden and jumping classes at local shows. She was sold to the owners of Swiss Air through Frank McGarry. This was Gill’s first taste of international equine trade.

Next came Patheon, on whom he got his first RDS rosette: “I came third and I thought I was the best in the world.” He still proudly displays the yellow rosette in his office. His daughter Alli recently emulated her dad by coming third in the Lead Rein at the RDS and rejoiced in her yellow rosette.

Gill’s career in horses really began with one called No Problem who traced back to Final Problem. “I qualified him for the RDS four year-old at Ballinasloe when to my surprise I beat Trevor Coyle and Edward Doyle. It felt fantastic!”

Showing and selling

Bringing his business acumen to bear on his horse enterprise, Tiernan sold a nice Easy Lift called Elevator to international agent Barry O’Connor. O’Connor refused the luck penny and became a close associate and friend ever since.

Learning from his dad, “who loved a nice horse,” young Gill began buying up to six foals a year. He brought the best of them to show ring success and eventual sale abroad. His first win at Dublin came with Black Magic in Loose Jumping. Through Barry he went on to compete on the Florida circuit with Darragh Kerins.

In 2004 he took his first Supreme Young Horse Championship with Flo Gas Marbaya, by Into The West. He took the coveted title again in 2008 with Dallas, by Limmerick. On both these occasions the Gill stables were both Champion and reserve – thus creating something of a record. Also in both these cases he is keen to note the source of his winners – Marbaya came from Lilly McGowan and Dallas from Jim Dallas.

More recently he has sourced foals in Holland. “The world is getting smaller,” he notes and is happy that 60% of his purchases have gone on to be competed internationally at up 1.50m level.

They have gone to the likes of Eric Lamaze, Alex Duffy, Bertram Allen, Cameron Hanley and Harry Smolders, who this season won the Rome Global Champions with one from him called Cass 2.

Corrado, Lux Z, Nimmerdor are some of the lines he follows. Now, trying his hand at breeding he bought Liquor, a traditional mare by Barnaby Flight out of a Weavers Web dam from Derry Rothwell. She won in Dublin as a yearling, two and three-year-old and is in foal to Sligo Candy Boy.

Voluntary effort

A firm believer in giving back into the system that has brought him much success and joy, Gill gives a great deal

of time to volunteering. He is a member of the RDS Equestrian Committee, participates as a judge at HSI Stallion Inspections and sponsors mare classes.

Gill is also a firm believer in education and helps in the Young Breeders programme. He noted: “Education is the key to everything.” This programme aims to inform our younger generation on the current requirements of the international market plus the skills of production and promotion.

To this end he is part of the Irish Equestrian Alliance that is now making a strong case for more Government funding to the sector. The morning we talked, he had already been in touch with three Government Ministers on the matter.

Right now Tiernan Gill is in a happy place. The original one acre on Church Road has grown to 45 along the banks of the Moy. Business is going well, with driving contracts from the likes of Aer Lingus and ESB. It was a joy to meet with him Caroline, Alex, Alli and his mum Maura on the very ground where it all began and out of which so much good has sprung.