THE North Leinster Region of Eventing Ireland held its annual general meeting last Thursday night in the Snailbox, north of Ashbourne, where the regional awards for last season were presented.

This was following the election of the 2025 committee, which comprises Gervaise Maher (chair), Davina Grey (secretary), Dayna Curtis (treasurer) and her sister Jeanine, Elaine Latt, Michael McNally and Lt Col Brian MacSweeney.

While there was no discussion on the night of the fixtures’ issue, the Region is once again running a one-day event at Tattersalls Ireland, where this year’s scheduled date of Sunday, August 17th, sees it avoid a clash with the final day of the Dublin Horse Show, which concludes a week earlier.

Nicola Ennis was the main winner on the night, being presented with three awards. She shared the honours at EI110 level, following her results on her own Irish Sport Horse gelding Corbally Mountain View. The Harlequin du Carel bay had six starts at this level, winning once and being placed on four occasions.

The now eight-year-old, who also won an EI115 and was well-placed in the well-filled CCI2*-S at Ballindenisk in late September before it was abandoned, will hopefully be aimed at a 3* this coming season.

Co Meath-based Ennis has recorded some excellent results over the years with thoroughbred horses and continued to do so in 2024 with Devils Cape, who she started competing under EI rules in May 2023. She gave the Canford Cliffs gelding just three outings that year at EI90 level, being placed each time.

Upgraded for his first start last season at Lisgarvan House 3, where he finished third of 29, Devils Cape filled the same position next time out at Rosanna 2. Ennis plans to upgrade her British-bred gelding again as soon as the season starts, with a 2* international class being one of her targets with Gordon Elliott’s former charge.

Diversity

Displaying the diversity of her string, Ennis won the EI90 award with Gemma Quinn’s Connemara gelding Illane Boss, who will be produced through the ranks. The 2019 Ardgaineen Rebel bay started four times last season, parting company with his rider on his debut at Rosanna 3, but then finishing second at Grove, winning at Ballindenisk 2 and placing fourth at Hazeldene 5.

Ennis’s sister Sarah won the EI115/3* title with the ISH mare OnceUponATime, who began the season with a win in the 10-runner EI115 at Tyrella 3. Home-bred by Deirdre Connolly, the 2016 Barely A Moment grey ended her campaign when finishing third of 57 in the CCI3*-S at the Lisgarvan House international in August.

Although based for some years now in Co Tipperary, Co Meath-born Daragh Byrne remains a member of the North Leinster Region and, as such, won the season’s EI120/4* title with his father James’s ISH gelding Kilcannon Ramiro, a 2012 son of Ramiro B. The combination competed seven times in 2024, commencing their campaign in the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg in The Netherlands in mid-March and completing it in the CCI5*-L at Pau in late October.

Wonderful season

Abby Coakley, who is currently on a six-month break from her career as an ICU nurse and is now in New Zealand having toured the Far East and Australia, had a wonderful 2024 with her father Denis’s ISH gelding Toome Carrick Jimmy.

On Thursday night, Coakley and the 2017 Carrick Diamond Lad bay were announced as joint-winners of the regional EI110 award, having recorded four top-six placings during the season; they also finished a highly-creditable seventh (from 24 starters) in the CCIYH2*-S for six and seven-year-olds at Lisgarvan. Elsewhere, Abby and Toome Carrick Jimmy placed fifth in the Junior/Young Rider event horse championship at the Dublin Horse Show, having qualified at Rincoola.

Denis Coakley, who is the only member of his family in the northern hemisphere at present, accepted Abby’s award on her behalf and was back on his feet when announced as winner of the EI110 (A) title with his 2008 ISH gelding Shannondale George (by Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan). There were few runners in this division but, from seven starts, Coakley and his bay won at Tattersalls and never finished outside the top four.

Rachael O’Callaghan won the other two Amateur awards, claiming the EI100 title with her highly-regarded thoroughbred gelding Gervada, a 2018 Vadamos bay on whom she took over the ride in mid-summer and on whom she recorded two wins and two top-three finishes from four starts at this level. O’Callaghan also landed the EI90 award with her 2017 ISH gelding Kieltys Buzz (by Castlelawn Captain Junior), who had just three EI starts in 2024, all in May when he sandwiched a win at Lisgarvan House 3 between second and third place finishes at Rosanna 2 and Tyrella 4.

The Ennis sisters were joined on the list of prize-winners by their niece Amy Ennis Crosbie, who claimed the Junior EI110 regional title with her mother Suzanne’s thoroughbred gelding Herobrine, a 2012 British-bred bay by Black Sam Bellamy. The combination, a new pairing for 2024, recorded three wins and one second-place finish from five starts at this level.

The winner of the EI100 (J) award was Isabella Gogan with her mother Georgina’s Bavarian mare Ardeo Gamira Gold (EI100), a 2011 Cielito Lindo bay. Another new combination for 2024, they started their season with back-to-back wins early on at Tyrella 3 and Tyrella 4.

The pony award winners were Carla Williamson with her mother Janet’s Galco (EI110), the 2014 gelding on whom she won five times during the season and with whom she was on the Irish silver medal-winning team at the Pony Europeans in Germany; Hugh Kelly with his mother Bronagh Kennedy’s traditionally-bred Fairyhouse In A Pickle (EI100), a Gwennic de Goariva mare on whom, during a busy season, he recorded five wins; and Bláthnaid O’Connell with Jennifer Corrigan’s 2005 black gelding Finnkilly Blackie (EI90), on whom the young rider made her EI debut in 2024.