I love farming.
All the work is done on the farm in the morning before going to college and again in the evening, I’d spend the evenings down in the stables with the horses.
I’m studying Agricultural Science and Environmental Management in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
It’s a new enough course and Environmental Management is a huge subject, covering things like water quality. I’m in second year and have two more years to go.
As part of this course, I started three months work placement with the Teagasc office in Ballinasloe back in January and that finishes later this month.
The work placement is brilliant, you’re learning something new every day, either out on farms or in the office.
In the long run, I’d love to pursue a career in agricultural consultancy. There’s a paper trail now with farming and I love helping with the paperwork part as well.
Family effort
Winning the young show person final at Clarecastle Show last September was huge.
The final was something completely new, we had to show our horse on a triangle and produce a video on horse production in advance.
Myself and my sister Melissa worked on the video, she’s good on technology.
The horse I showed in the final was a homebred, two-year-old filly named Crannaghmore Pearl. The other finalists were all good contenders, whoever was in the final was in it to win it.
My parents [P.J. and Majella] were nearly in tears at the side of the ring when I won. It was really nice to have them there as we all go to shows together, so it’s a real family effort.
Proud parents Majella and PJ congratulate Lorcan after he wins the Horse Sport Ireland young show person final at Clarecastle Show. \ Susan Finnerty Proud parents Majella and PJ congratulate Lorcan after he wins the Horse Sport Ireland young show person final at Clarecastle Show. \ Susan Finnerty
As long as I can remember, mam and dad have brought my brother Darragh, Melissa – they’re both teachers – and myself to shows.
Clifden and Dublin, they’re the highlight of the year. Dublin is our annual holiday for the family but the small agricultural show is as important.
Everyone has to support the smaller show as much as the big show.
On cloud nine
The first time I showed a horse at Dublin was with Danny Molloy. He rang me and asked me to help him show Baltydaniel Silver Queen and her foal.
I went out to his place and other shows to practise and was very proud to be asked to show at Dublin the year she won.
Then last year dad and I showed our mare Crannagh Rivie and her Scrapman filly there.
We had them at Dublin the year before and we said we’d give it another show.
When we were pulled in second with the mare in her class, we were on cloud nine and really didn’t think we’d top off our day.
That was before her foal won, so we were nearly pinching ourselves in the middle of the ring. You just never know when another day like that will come along.
Dad kept on the filly foal, the mare’s not getting any younger and what better to replace her with than her daughter.
I bought a filly foal at Dublin too. It was a shot in the dark as I was always into Connemaras, but I wanted to buy a sport horse foal too.
So I walked down through the stables, picked out three foals and she was one.
We got a seat up at the far end of Ring 1 to watch the Breeders’ Championship and halfway through the class, I had it narrowed down to her. I ended up buying her on Friday night from the O’Sullivan brothers.
Reinvesting
I had put the covering fees from my Connemara stallion Knightsbridge Prince towards buying her and the €1,000 I won for the show person final in Clarecastle went a nice bit towards her too.
She’s in now and getting ready for shows. She’s a big, rangy filly so we’ll take it step by step. In the long run, the aim is to qualify for an All-Ireland final and to go back to Dublin.
She’s bred for jumping so maybe when she’s a three-year-old, we’ll try for some of the loose jumping qualifiers then.
Farming
We’d always have had traditional breeding on the farm and she’s the first with warmblood breeding. Just horses and cattle, that’s what we’d have on the farm. I love cattle. We rear Limousin-Charolais crosses to sell in the mart.
Last year, I bought a purebred show heifer at the Simmental show and sale in Tullamore. Myself and dad went with the trailer just in case I bought anything and I was like a child in a sweet shop.
I had sold weanling bulls last spring to buy this purebred heifer and showing her is another possibility.
I have two Connemara stallions, ‘Prince’ and a new three-year-old, Tullana Cormack. He was passed in Creagh on the Friday and then I brought him to the Clifden stallion parade the following Sunday, he has one mare covered already.
It was a lovely day at Clifden, there wasn’t a big flush of ponies but there were quite a few spectators and some visitors from overseas, including America.
I’d like to judge one day but I won’t judge until I finish showing. When I’m not able to run with a horse anymore, then I’ll switch to judging!
Lorcan Glynn was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.
Read more
Ringside Stories: Like mother, like daughter
Ringside stories: 'Judge the horse and you won’t go wrong'
I love farming.
All the work is done on the farm in the morning before going to college and again in the evening, I’d spend the evenings down in the stables with the horses.
I’m studying Agricultural Science and Environmental Management in Mountbellew Agricultural College.
It’s a new enough course and Environmental Management is a huge subject, covering things like water quality. I’m in second year and have two more years to go.
As part of this course, I started three months work placement with the Teagasc office in Ballinasloe back in January and that finishes later this month.
The work placement is brilliant, you’re learning something new every day, either out on farms or in the office.
In the long run, I’d love to pursue a career in agricultural consultancy. There’s a paper trail now with farming and I love helping with the paperwork part as well.
Family effort
Winning the young show person final at Clarecastle Show last September was huge.
The final was something completely new, we had to show our horse on a triangle and produce a video on horse production in advance.
Myself and my sister Melissa worked on the video, she’s good on technology.
The horse I showed in the final was a homebred, two-year-old filly named Crannaghmore Pearl. The other finalists were all good contenders, whoever was in the final was in it to win it.
My parents [P.J. and Majella] were nearly in tears at the side of the ring when I won. It was really nice to have them there as we all go to shows together, so it’s a real family effort.
Proud parents Majella and PJ congratulate Lorcan after he wins the Horse Sport Ireland young show person final at Clarecastle Show. \ Susan Finnerty Proud parents Majella and PJ congratulate Lorcan after he wins the Horse Sport Ireland young show person final at Clarecastle Show. \ Susan Finnerty
As long as I can remember, mam and dad have brought my brother Darragh, Melissa – they’re both teachers – and myself to shows.
Clifden and Dublin, they’re the highlight of the year. Dublin is our annual holiday for the family but the small agricultural show is as important.
Everyone has to support the smaller show as much as the big show.
On cloud nine
The first time I showed a horse at Dublin was with Danny Molloy. He rang me and asked me to help him show Baltydaniel Silver Queen and her foal.
I went out to his place and other shows to practise and was very proud to be asked to show at Dublin the year she won.
Then last year dad and I showed our mare Crannagh Rivie and her Scrapman filly there.
We had them at Dublin the year before and we said we’d give it another show.
When we were pulled in second with the mare in her class, we were on cloud nine and really didn’t think we’d top off our day.
That was before her foal won, so we were nearly pinching ourselves in the middle of the ring. You just never know when another day like that will come along.
Dad kept on the filly foal, the mare’s not getting any younger and what better to replace her with than her daughter.
I bought a filly foal at Dublin too. It was a shot in the dark as I was always into Connemaras, but I wanted to buy a sport horse foal too.
So I walked down through the stables, picked out three foals and she was one.
We got a seat up at the far end of Ring 1 to watch the Breeders’ Championship and halfway through the class, I had it narrowed down to her. I ended up buying her on Friday night from the O’Sullivan brothers.
Reinvesting
I had put the covering fees from my Connemara stallion Knightsbridge Prince towards buying her and the €1,000 I won for the show person final in Clarecastle went a nice bit towards her too.
She’s in now and getting ready for shows. She’s a big, rangy filly so we’ll take it step by step. In the long run, the aim is to qualify for an All-Ireland final and to go back to Dublin.
She’s bred for jumping so maybe when she’s a three-year-old, we’ll try for some of the loose jumping qualifiers then.
Farming
We’d always have had traditional breeding on the farm and she’s the first with warmblood breeding. Just horses and cattle, that’s what we’d have on the farm. I love cattle. We rear Limousin-Charolais crosses to sell in the mart.
Last year, I bought a purebred show heifer at the Simmental show and sale in Tullamore. Myself and dad went with the trailer just in case I bought anything and I was like a child in a sweet shop.
I had sold weanling bulls last spring to buy this purebred heifer and showing her is another possibility.
I have two Connemara stallions, ‘Prince’ and a new three-year-old, Tullana Cormack. He was passed in Creagh on the Friday and then I brought him to the Clifden stallion parade the following Sunday, he has one mare covered already.
It was a lovely day at Clifden, there wasn’t a big flush of ponies but there were quite a few spectators and some visitors from overseas, including America.
I’d like to judge one day but I won’t judge until I finish showing. When I’m not able to run with a horse anymore, then I’ll switch to judging!
Lorcan Glynn was in conversation with Susan Finnerty.
Read more
Ringside Stories: Like mother, like daughter
Ringside stories: 'Judge the horse and you won’t go wrong'
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