THE Mayo show circuit moved to Crossmolina last Saturday, when good weather brought out crowds for the 66th anniversary of a show that had lapsed and has now bounced back. Held in a 22-acre community field on the Ballina road, the show committee is headed up by chairperson Anthony Gill.

Crossmolina is the near-ancestral homeplace of the Gills and St Tiernan is the town’s patron saint. Not surprising then to see Tiernan Gill support another Mayo show with his team of Flogas-breds and it was his Dutch-bred Flogas Syb that won the two-year-old class.

Tinahely, for the Red Mills All-Ireland final, is provisionally pencilled in as the next outing for this attractive grey-roan by the Spy Coast Farm-based Calvino Z.

Pat Hoare and Denis McGrath selected the three-year-old class winner, Dermot Gordon’s Heartbreaker Boy, as their young horse champion and Flogas Syb was reserve. Champion at Ballina too, Gordon’s grey has qualified for the Dublin loose jumping final.

“I bred him myself. The dam is Sligo Candy Boy-Lux Z-Diamond Lad. She has a beautiful filly foal this year off Vancouver and she is back in foal to Numero Uno Cruise, whose sire is Numero Uno and he stands with John Carey in Ardagh, just outside Ballina,” said Gordon.

Dermot Gordon with his Heartbreaker Boy, the champion young horse at Crossmolina Show with sponsor Anthony Gill \ Susan Finnerty

Several more Dublin-bound entries featured in the Crossmolina prize winners, including John McDonnell’s CBI Ice Queen (Baltic VDL) and Laura Foody’s Fidactha Tulip (Cougar), first and second in the Horse Sport Ireland-sponsored show jumping broodmare/foal combinations. Vancouver’s good results at Crossmolina Show continued, as the Heartbreaker son is the sire too of McDonnell’s winning foal. Fidachta Tulip’s foal is by Glynwood Cornet.

“Sea horse”

McDonnell’s great show continued when his three-year-old Benny (KMS Rooney) won the Horse Sport Ireland loose jumping class and the John McGuinness Cup, ahead of Brian Finan’s Deelside Doris (Conticco). CBI Ice Queen and her Vancouver foal then won the broodmare and foal championship titles.

The HSI eventing broodmare/foal combination class was won by Johnathon McDonnell’s Emzo (Voss) and yet another Vancouver foal with her distinctive ‘sea horse’ blaze.

Emzo is a full-sister to Bridget Devaney’s Emme, the winning mare in the show jumping section of last August’s The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship at Dublin.

Crossmolina’s ridden horse champion was Liam Lynskey’s versatile DS Bounce With Me Baby (Moylough Bouncer) with Hannah Gordon and reserve was another pure-bred Irish Draught in Michael Peyton’s home-bred Atticus Hill (Gortfree Hero).

The champion ridden pony was another native breed in Lauren Kenny’s Connemara, Logboy Rebel (Robe Earl). Reserve champion was Annette McMullon’s recent Louisburgh champion, Hollycreek Sir Sidney (Astral Heartbreaker), with his regular pilot Caitlin McMullon on board. Her brother Eoghan won the in-hand pony championship with Sidney’s stable companion Blueriver Rock Chick.

Stephen Egan’s Good Times Tilly was the reserve in-hand champion pony. “She has won two lunging classes already and we’re going to do Bonniconlon next. She’s already broken and ridden, I’ll probably keep her until spring, do a few shows and then sell her on,” said her owner-breeder about the filly, by his own Je T’Aime Flamenco stallion Landenco and out of a 13.2 pony mare.

Fresh faces

Another all-Galway judging combination of Shauna Finneran and Jimmy Canavan had one more pony title to decide. Two welcome new faces to the show scene - Oliver Armstrong and Damien Walsh - supplied the Connemara champion and reserve here.

Armstrong, from Knockmore - “Vinnie Duffy is my neighbour!” - is another looking for a new home for his champion, the three-year-old filly Portroyal Elsie.

“Last year was my first year showing and it’s the first time in the showring for the young lad - James O’Hara - who showed the filly for me today. I just got into Connemaras a couple of years ago and I bought a couple from Paddy Joyce, a well-known Connemara breeder.

“This pony is by Paddy’s Magherafadda Lad.”

Words From The Wise: Jimmy Canavan chats with showring newcomer James O’Hara with Oliver Armstrong’s Connemara champion Portroyal Elsie \ Susan Finnerty

Damian Walsh’s Castlehill Shadow (Black Shadow) was reserve champion for her Castlebar owner. “This is her seventh show this year and my first time ever showing this year.”

The freshest faces of all are the youngsters in the lead rein and fancy dress classes. Dylan McDonnell, Johnathon’s son, is the fourth generation of his family to compete at their local show.

“He was so excited this week about going to the show that he couldn’t sleep at night,” said proud grandfather, Des.

The first Crossmolina rosette ticked off the list with his pony Casper, Dylan, a keen fan of space travel and mountains, has two more ambitions.

One is to climb Croagh Patrick, “We’ll do that before Dublin Horse Show” and to meet Dr Norah Patten, the Ballina native recently selected as the first person from Ireland to go to space in 2026.

Dylan McDonnell, a space fan and the fourth generation of his family to compete at his local show, rode his pony Casper in the Crossmolina fancy dress class \ Susan Finnerty

66th route to success

At the other end of the scale from Dylan McDonnell’s enthusiasm, show committee members can get jaded from the grind of seeking sponsorship and organising their annual show.

Although there is nothing like sunshine and the crowds swarming in the gate, like at Crossmolina last Saturday, to make the sometimes-slog worthwhile.

“Overwhelmed, the best agricultural show we ever had in the 66 years of the show,” declared Anthony Gill afterwards. “And it was a lovely family day out. Lots more shows are leaning towards a family and community day out. We’ve learnt from the past couple of years to make it a fun family day and the cattle and horses are a bonus.”

With falling numbers in some horse classes and agricultural shows looking to widen the appeal, Gill finds that a low-cost day out for families brings in the gate.

“People paying in at the gate all helps to pay for the show and the less expense for the parents, the better. We’re going back to the old ways: no carnivals, we just had events like egg and spoon races and a magician. The kids loved it.

“The less costs for the parents, the more money they then have to spend at the show.”