PATRICK Conolly-Carew, the 7th Baron Carew, died peacefully aged 86 years on December 18th 2024. An Olympian and a hugely popular figure throughout his life, he contributed enormously to Irish and international equestrian sport both in and out of the saddle and will be very much missed.

It was at the Palladian Castletown House in Celbridge, Co Kildare, where the family lived until its sale in 1965, that Patrick first honed his equestrian skills under the watchful eye of April ffrench-Mullen (later Countess Merveldt) who taught all of the Carew children to ride.

Educated at Elstree Preparatory School and Harrow before moving on to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, Patrick was then commissioned into The Royal Horseguards, The Blues.

As his title of Baron Carew had been created in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of the United Kingdom, he could sit as a member of the House of Lords from the death of his father, the 6th Baron, in 1994 until his seat was abolished by the House of Lords Act 1999. He sat as a crossbencher.

As a competitor he is probably best remembered for his career in three-day eventing, but he was also a successful show jumping rider. During his service as a cavalry officer, he won the Army Association’s Cup at Twesledown in 1960 and was a member of the regimental team that won the Queen’s Trophy at Windsor in 1963.

He competed in show jumping internationally from 1970 to 1978 and, in 1971, lined out for Ireland in the Nations Cup at Hickstead alongside the great Tommy Brennan and Army Equitation School stars Ned Campion and Larry Kiely.

Lord and Lady Carew \ Alison Murphy Photography

Ballyhoo

Patrick’s eventing career spanned a long number of years. He made his CCIO debut as an Irish individual at the European three-day-event Championships at Harewood in England in 1959 partnering his horse-of-a-lifetime, Ballyhoo, bought for £500 from Irish eventing supremo Major Eddie Boylan.

The opinionated mare, who began her working life towing a barge up the canal at Robertstown, refused twice on their very first outing together at the Irish Eventing Championships at Castletown a few months earlier, but the pair quickly established a remarkable and long-lasting partnership. His sister, Diana, recalls: “Ballyhoo was a wonderful jumper, and Patrick was very brave.”

Three years later they helped post Ireland’s very first major team success in eventing when taking silver at the 1962 European Championships at Burghley alongside Anthony Cameron (Sam Weller), Harry Freeman-Jackson (St Finbarr) and Virginia Freeman-Jackson (Irish Lace), Patrick and Ballyhoo finishing a very creditable 13th individually.

By now they were clearly a force to be reckoned with, also finishing seventh at the formidable Badminton Horse Trials that year. Patrick’s Badminton record is extraordinary. He lined out on 11 occasions at the venue that hosts arguably the toughest test in this exacting sport, completing six times in succession with Ballyhoo who finished 12th in 1961, 7th in 1962 and - in the most appalling weather conditions - third in 1963.

He also competed at Burghley Horse Trials seven times, following up that third-place Badminton finish in 1963 with another third place - again with Ballyhoo - at Burghley later in the year. The Irish international event at Punchestown was also a regular favourite for the pair who finished third there in 1961.

The Hon. Patrick Conolly-Carew on Ballyhoo at Badminton 1962

Olympic Games

He was selected, with Ping Pong, for the Irish eventing team for the drama-filled Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 where his sister, Diana, was called up for the show jumping team. There was much excitement and publicity, but Patrick never got to compete when his horse first went lame and then contracted grass sickness, tragically dying a few weeks later.

His second Olympic Games, at Munich four years later, was considerably more successful but it wasn’t without its drama either. By then Patrick had struck up a great partnership with Tawny Port, bought from Chris Collins a year beforehand and a horse he later described as the most talented he ever sat on.

They arrived as the reserves for the team but got the call-up when Juliet Jobling-Purser’s Jenny went lame, and acquitted themselves admirably to help Ireland finish ninth of the 19 competing nations. It wasn’t easy. Captain Ronnie MacMahon was best-placed of the Irish after dressage with San Carlos and all four team-members went clear on the steeplechase course.

In very different days for this sport the Phase C Roads and Tracks covered a distance of 9.5 miles over rough going and Irish chances took a heavy blow when Bill McLernon’s Ballingarry broke down. Things were looking even more grim when Bill Buller’s Benka picked up a rusty three-inch nail but, miraculously, the horse was sound when it was removed.

The going across country was hard and dusty and there were 45 falls, 56 refusals and 22 eliminations. Of the three remaining members of the team Ronnie MacMahon took a tumble but remounted and continued, and San Carlos, Tawny Port and Benka all had refusals at various fences around the 36-fence course.

Despite a painful haematoma on his thigh after his fall, Ronnie managed to produce a great show jumping clear on the final day when Bill Buller and Benka picked up 30 penalties and Patrick and Tawny Port had two fences down and 0.75 time faults. The three survivors finished close together in the individual rankings, Bill in 22nd, Ronnie in 24th and Patrick in 28th place.

Patrick and Tawny Port also competed at Badminton in 1972 where they finished 39th, but when they returned to the prestigious event in 1973 with that Olympic experience behind them, they filled 11th place.

The two other Irish contenders competing at Badminton that year were Bill Powell-Harris on Smokey VI and Major Eddie Boylan with Fairymount and they were both eliminated in the cross-country phase. But Patrick and Tawny Port really showed their class when one of just eight horse-and-rider partnerships to jump clear on cross-country day and one of just 17 to leave all the coloured poles intact on the final afternoon.

Of the 69 starters there were 30 finishers and Patrick’s great friend, Richard Meade, finished second with Eagle Rock while Lucinda Prior-Palmer (Green) and Be Fair were the 1973 winners. Patrick was in the best of classic company during the prizegiving ceremony.

The Hon. Patrick Conolly-Carew on Ballyhoo at Badminton 1962

Official capacity

Patrick also played a pivotal role across equestrian sport in an official capacity both at home and abroad. He was Chairman of Selectors for both the Irish senior show jumping team and the Irish senior three-day event team, from 1979 to 1984 he was President of the Equestrian Federation of Ireland and, between 2001 and 2015, he was President of Eventing Ireland.

His international influence was significant. He filled the role of President of the FEI Three-Day-Event Committee from 1989 to 1997, was a Member of FEI Bureau (now Board) and was a longtime Honorary Bureau Member of the FEI.

He was President of the Three-Day-Event Ground Jury at both the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996, and chef d’equipe for the Irish eventing team at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

He was an international eventing judge for over 20 years and was awarded the FEI Gold Medal for eventing, while at home he received the EFI Badge of Honour from President Mary Robinson.

Like most Irish equestrians he had a close bond with the Royal Dublin Society and Dublin Horse Show, serving as a Council member at the RDS for 15 years, while more recently he was on the Rules Committee of Horse Sport Ireland. Patrick was also a long-time Trustee of the David Foster Injured Riders Fund.

Life and times

Looking back on his life and times, the year 1962 was a big one for Patrick as not only did he win that European team silver medal for Ireland but he also married Celia Mary Cubitt. The three bridesmaids at their wedding were Patrick’s sisters Diana - an international show jumping rider whose memorable partnership with the great Barrymore is the stuff of legend - his youngest sister Sarah and Celia’s cousin Camilla Shand who went on to become the Duchess of Cornwall and is now Queen Camilla, married to King Charles lll. His brother, Gerald, was best man.

Patrick and Celia had four children - Virginia, Nicola, Camilla and William - and Virginia (McGrath) followed in her father’s footsteps as a double-Olympian and also a recipient of an FEI Gold Medal. Celia was Chair and President of the Irish Pony Club for a number of years, following in the footsteps of Patrick’s mother Lady Sylvia Carew.

The family have maintained their connection with Castletown House down the years and Patrick was a Director and Patron of the Castletown Foundation. The house is now State-owned and managed by the Office of Public Works. Built in 1722 for William Conolly, the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, it became a popular venue for the annual The Irish Field Awards during the 1980s and Patrick was always the life and soul of the party.

Following a private family funeral in December he was buried at his beloved Castletown where his grave has been piled high with flowers delivered by his many friends over the past few weeks. A special memorial service to mark his passing will be held later this year in celebration of his life.

Patrick Conolly-Carew and Princess Anne \ Tony Parkes

Remembered

He is remembered fondly by all who knew him, including his former teammate and good friend Lt Col Ned Campion. “Pat was a thorough gentleman and a great man to have on your team. He had a wonderful sense of humour and he was particularly self-deprecating - always happy to poke a bit of fun at himself!” Ned says.

No matter what role he filled at international events, Patrick always made time to meet the Irish who travelled to European, World Championships and Olympic Games in support of the teams and delighted in introducing them to the many dignitaries he knew.

One such supporter was well-known cross-country commentator Peter Quirke who, abandoned by his usual companions Margie McLoone and the late Christine Bastow, attended the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

“I went over with Virginia’s husband, Neil McGrath, and the late Ronnie MacMahon and I left it to them to sort our accommodation!” Quirke said. “It was actually Patrick who fixed it up for the three of us to stay in an apartment with Judge Vaughan who had been a pilot with the US Air Force in World War II and had been based in Enniskillen flying Catalina seaplanes. It was the Judge who looked after Patrick when he had his accident at one of the early inspections of the equestrian site in Atlanta a year earlier (Patrick was badly injured in a fall from a buggy while touring the route for the cross-country track in 1995). At the event itself, Patrick couldn’t do enough for the Irish contingent.” Patrick’s generosity of spirit was limitless.

His sister, Diana, puts it very simply indeed. “Patrick really liked people, and they very much liked him. He was a good, fair and kind person and a true amateur who just loved his sport. We all miss him greatly.”

March 6th 1938 - December 18th 2024