THE Irish National Stud will feature on RTÉ’s Nationwide programme on Wednesday at 7pm.

Reporter Mary Fanning takes a look at the global reach of the stud’s education programme and interviews many of the students from the Thoroughbred Breeding class of 2024. These include Tadhg McGuinness, son of trainer Ado, and Grace Hamilton from South Carolina. Mary also speaks to graduate Willie McCreery at his yard on the Curragh, accompanied by two of the young people now working with him. Willie tells the programme how his time at the Irish National Stud forged his career path and opened up the world for him.

Jim Bolger’s granddaughter Clare Manning also features and speaks about her time at the stud, when she was in the class of 2016 and how relationships formed during that time still remain today.

Mary takes a look at the three facets of the stud, interweaving tourism with stallions and education. The programme emphasises how the stud is owned by the Irish taxpayer.

The stud’s tourism manager David Wardell shows Mary the ‘Living Legends’ Faugheen and Hurricane Fly, who live at the stud, and tells her: “I have seen grown men cry when they meet these legends of racing. The horses are nearly turned orange from all the carrots they get!”