Clearly the weeklong list of events which commenced with the crowning of Clifden show queen, local girl Maeve Vaughan, proved to be a huge success as many foreign languages were heard in the area all week.

The four-year-old inaugural performance mare championship, sponsored by Horse Sport Ireland, was the feature of the midweek festivities on Wednesday. The eventual winner was the fluent quality bay Queen Theillet by Brock Lodge Buster. Her dam, Reseda Theillet, is by the top show jumping pony Fricotin (Glenree Bobby-Carna Bobby-Inish Biggle) in France.

The daughter of Brock Lodge Buster was bred by Paddy Kearns at Brocklodge Stud and owned by Valerie Gateau from Feakle, Co Clare, who said: “I am so pleased to have won with her. She just loves jumping and I bought her because of her pedigree.”

The four-year-old Irish Connemara Green Hunter was judged by Tony Ennis and Philippa Scott, who found their winner in Eglinton Jackie Hockley’s Carnakilly Finn (Dexter Leam Pondi-Castleside Killiney), ridden by Lisa Hockley, ahead of Keith Murray’s Lough Fadda Rudi (Coosheen Stormboy-Grange Ruby Surf).

The three-year-old loose jumping competition, judged by Edward Doyle, had a nice selection of future hopefuls. Noreen O’Malley from Newport, Co Mayo, collected the winner’s purse with her Derryhill High Silver Tempo (Tempo Active Atlas-Realt na Mara) ahead of Micheal Higgins’s Uggool Power Boy (Caherlistrane Bay-Breaffy Chaillin).

Thursday saw Ballyconneely breeder Bartley Conroy winning the first Clifden red of 2015 with his well-coupled yearling colt Cleggan Gallop (Kippure Columbus-Poona Schueracher), who has a pedigree of great interest that includes a double infusion of Marble and, on his dam side, Pat Lyne’s great foundation mare Artic Moon.

The yearling filly winner was Cathal Mullen’s Gurteen Jennifer, a daughter of Glencarrig Knight and Gurteen Eimer by Linsfort Barney. Her granddam, Independent by Murphy Rebel, won her class later in the day and she comes from a long and established bloodline produced at Gurteen Stud in Roundstone.

James Rabbette from Castleside Stud, Castlebar, produced his 2014 All-Ireland Champion of Champions two-year-old Kingstown Archies Boy (Monaghanstown Fionn-Kingstown Silver Treasure) in peak condition and deservedly collected his red rosette.

Michael Holmes from Gowlaun, Clifden, won a very strong two-year-old mare class with his homebred Carnane Yasmin (Glencarrig Knight-Cnocban Yasmin) who stood ahead of Amy Curran’s Glencarrig Countess (Glencarrig Knight-Glencarrig Princess).

Clifden is a happy place for Robbie and Barbara Fallon from Cashelbay Stud in Athenry. Few could match Robbie’s passion for breeding, and few have such strong foundations as their three-year-old mare Cashelbay Kate (Cashelbay Prince -Frederiksminde Mathilda) (Hazy Dawn-Oxenholm Movie Star by Marble) who won her class ahead of Castle Princess (Currachmore Cashel-Castle Urchin), owned by Caillin Conneely and Henry O’Toole.

JUNIOR CHAMPION

The three-year-old stallion class was on the small side but produced the junior champion Murvey Rocco (Glencarrig Knight-Murvey Rita), owned by Martin Keaney from Roundstone and exhibited by Bernard Keaney. Having won the supreme championship at the Midlands show in July, the pair lived up to their expectations. Rocco will be one to watch in years to come, as will reserve junior champion Cashelbay Kate.

Owners John Beeley from Nottingham and Clifden breeder Joe McNamara have a nice prospect with the four- to six-year-old stallion winner Innellan Condor, by Linsford Barney, who stood with McNamara prior to being exported, out of Innellan Odette (Oisin-Abbeyleix Swan). He has some great names in his pedigree.

Cathy Snow Coyne and her husband Martin won the class for six- to seven-year-old mares with their nicely bred Kilpatrick Snowdrop by their own stallion Moorland Snowy River out of Kilpatrick Holly, bred by Joan Dolan from Ballymore Eustace.

Several of the best eight- to nine-year-old mares in the county entered for this class. Michael Philbin from Louisburg, Co Mayo, took home the Val Moran Memorial cup with his lovely Beechmount Brona (Castlestrange Fionn-An Cailin Deas). The blue rosette was awarded to Banks Nellie (Innellan Kestral-Banks Square’s Do Do), owned by Seamus Hynds from Tullanna Stud in Moate and Peter Bank-Mikkelsen from Denmark. Nellie further enhances the success of her dam line.

SUPREME CHAMPION

At the end of the marathon session, Joe Burke from Castlegar, Co Galway, proved beyond doubt that he is a gifted handler as the immaculate stallion Drumbad Fletcher Moss (Frederiksminde Hazy Match-Robe Grey Abbey) was awarded the overall supreme championship by judges Bridget O’Sullivan-Lee, John Joe Bolton Sean Stagg and Madeleine Beckman.

Reserve here was the outstanding mare Banks Vanilla (Teglstrup Duke-Banks Squares Do Do), owned by Noel Noonan from Manor Connemara Ponies in Clifden and exhibited by Maeve Conneely from Ballyconneely. Vanilla was imported into Ireland by Sean Dunne from Garryhinch Stud in Portarlington, who was in the ribbons earlier winning the four- to five-year-old mare class with Vanilla’s daughter Garryhinch Vanilla by Monaghanstown Boy, bred at Garryhinch

The champion foal was Ballyconneely Heather (Moorland Snowy River -Bunowen Lady), owned by Malachy Sweeney from Ballyconneely. Eddie Fleming from Streamstown took the reserve sash with his Gneevebrack Comet, a son of Monaghanstown Prince and Gneevebrack Belle.

Judges did a fine job as the ridden classes were huge and many performance ponies were produced locally with a high standard of riding overall.

Robbie Fallon’s stallion Cashelbay Rocket (Cashelbay Cruise-Cashelbay Misty), beautifully ridden by Michael Harty, was awarded the ridden championship. Marjorie Hardiman on Creganna Dandini stood reserve.

Clifden belongs to Bobby Sparrow Blue, owned by Patricia Dalton from Co Derry, who delighted his many supporters when winning the Clifden high-performance class under Justine O’Hara.

The working hunter stallions had the large crowd on their toes. The winner, Aghranny Minstrel, owned by Noreen O’Connor from Arklow and ridden by Edwina O’Connor, never put a hoof wrong. Reserve champion was Tom Murray’s Plume De Kezeg, ridden by Pauline Dahill.

Pataire Crawford from Corofin rode a testing course on Ardfry Jade, winning the working hunter championship ahead of Alicia Devlin Byrne on Blackwood Fernando, who also proved his versatility by winning the last class of the show, the puissance.