IT was back at the 2006 Irish Shows Association’s dinner dance that its then-president John O’Hara announced that Louisburgh show would be back on the calendar the following summer. Since then, the event has weathered good and bad days weather-wise, but sunshine, like the Euromillions winning syndicate in Castlebar, won out.

And when the sun shines, there is no better setting for a show than Louisburgh’s site beside the sand dunes of the Blue Flag-awarded Carrowmore Beach. Its idyllic but remote location at the western end of Clew Bay doesn’t necessarily entice droves of exhibitors, however, curious holidaymakers from the surrounding holiday homes swelled spectator numbers.

Sunday’s spectators had a special welcome for newly appointed Minister for Community and Rural Affairs and local hero Michael Ring TD, who officially opened the show. In addition to urging more women to get involved in organising events, he also said future funding would be sought for agricultural shows (See A54).

ISA board member Paddy Joe Foy also emphasised the importance of safety at shows, advising exhibitors to take out their own insurance cover for the show season.

Seamus Sloyan’s Elm View has had a light campaign this summer but made her mark in the Irish Draught section. This corner of the western seaboard is always a strong area for Irish Draughts and Louisburgh was bolstered this year by the addition of Horse Sport Ireland-sponsorship for its mare and foal classes.

Champion

A three-time champion mare at Dublin (2010, 2013, 2014), Elm View won the Horse Sport Ireland mare championship, following the example set by her Moylough Bouncer filly foal, the winner of the preceding class, also sponsored by HSI. Fittingly, the winner of the feature mare championship also received the Patrick J. O’Reilly Cup, presented to the show by the late local Shraugh Stud stallion master.

Bred by Sloyan’s uncle Raymond, Elm View then capped her day by adding the Irish Draught championship to her portfolio. Ian Murphy’s Ava’s Delight, a three-year-old filly bred by John Lavin and from Clonakilty Hero-Golden Warrior lines, took reserve.

It was a lengthy day judging for a gallant Pat Hoare, who has recently returned from the injured list, and Philip Copithorne. The Corkman had an early wake-up call planned for the next morning, as he was travelling to Millstreet with daughter Alice who is on the Irish team at this week’s European Championships with their Fort Arthur Going For Gold.

Earlier, they had selected Anthony Gill’s OBOS Quality 004 three-year-old filly as their sport horse champion. A cousin of namesake Tiernan, judging that day in Newcastle West, one of Gill’s next outings with the filly, out of a thoroughbred dam by Classic Cliche, is Dublin.

RDS bound

Also RDS-bound is the reserve champion, Martin and Mary Murphy’s Black Beauty. The Loughehoe Guy mare and her Sligo Candy Boy foal qualified at Charleville for the RDS Breeders Championship for their Swinford owners.

The N59, connecting Connemara and Westport, had extra show traffic on Sunday when some owners shuttled from Ballyconneely to Louisburgh, with the Mayo show moving its Connemara classes to a later start time to accommodate dual exhibitors.

Claire Oakes and Tomas Grimes’ champion was Tony Walsh’s three-year-old Moyabbey Twilight, by Glencarrig Patrick, with her closest challenger and reserve champion proving to be Claremorris owner John Hynes’s Addrigoole Serena.

Nicholas Byrne had some well-filled classes in front of him, with local classes as always bringing out extra support.

His champion pony was Michael Galvin’s Treflan Betsan, also the reserve Welsh champion. Deirdre Coyne took that Welsh title with her Barossa Camilla, while Peter O’Malley’s Glenloe Lady stood reserve in the earlier show pony championship.