NO doubt there will be quite a few from the horsey world heading down to Inch, Gorey, Co Wexford where the contents of historic Borleagh Manor will be under the hammer on April 18th next.

Mealy Auctioneers are handling the 600 Lots with the auction kicks off at 10.30am.

Earliest records of the house indicate a hunting lodge dating from 1715-1750. Records show that in 1771 it was acquired on 3,000 acres for £13,000 guineas by Henry Quin M.D, President of the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin.

Quin was looking for a suitable country sporting estate. Generations of the Quin family lived at Borleagh for almost 200 years.

Following the death of Colonel Richard Percival Wemyss Quin in 1945, his widow Elizabeth Maude (nee Lumsden) remained at Borleagh until her death in 1963.

It was then acquired by the Hollywood screen matinee idol, Richard Greene. He went on to become a noted horse breeder and Master of the Wicklow Hunt while at Borleagh. During his tenure, the house welcomed many famous Hollywood guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Cary Grant.

Wealthy USA real estate businessman, Charles Gambrill acquired the estate in 1972 and continued with racehorse and pedigree cattle breeding before moving to Bermuda in the early 1980s, when the property was acquired by the late Malachy McDaniel Stone. Malachy devoted his time to upgrading Borleagh and breeding sport horses. He bred a number of RDS winners, international eventers and show jumpers including “Swanky” who jumped at two Olympic Games - Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004).

He lived there until his death in 2016. In his latter tenure at Borleagh, Malachy’s focus was on National Hunt thoroughbred breeding and he went on to breed many winners, including Wishwillow Lord.

Borleagh has now been sold to Tara Studios, backed by former Pinewood Studios (UK) executive, Ivan Dunleavy and Irish businessman John Gleeson.

After a rich history spanning almost 300 years, it will cease to be a family home, and will begin the next instalment of its story as a Film & TV Production Facility, with some seven studios to be built on the lands.