Sad passing of writer Edna O’Brien

EDNA O’Brien, one of Ireland’s finest writers, an iconic feminist and aunt of Irish show jumping team manager Michael Blake, died in London last weekend at the age of 93. Blake was with his aunt when she passed and spoke fondly of her on RTÉ’s Drivetime on Monday, the same day he was leaving to lead the team at the Paris Olympics.

He said her wish was to be brought home for a service in the Church in Tuamgraney, where she was christened, and to be buried on Holy Island, the ancient monastic settlement off the western shores of Lough Derg.

He described her as a fanatic sportswoman, who loved all sports and said he hoped she would be “looking down on us in Paris and might give us a leg up.

“She was brave when it was hard to be brave and what needed to be said, she said it, that’s the way to live,” Blake said.

Sheane shows great

affinity for driving

ARTHUR Sheane, son of Cooley Farm’s Georgina and Richard Sheane, finished 19th in the final phase of the FEI Driving Youth European Championships last week. Arthur and his former show jumping pony Essenar Cooley (AKA Essenar Luizza) competed in the Children’s pony single class at what was his first European Championships. The pair were 26th in the dressage phase, second in the marathon and fifth in the cones.

Kris Rohrssen, who was competing in the Junior class, elected to withdraw from the cones phase after a tip up on the marathon the day before.

Arthur attributes his affinity for driving to his great-grandfather, also Arthur Sheane, who was utility class winner at the Dublin Horse Show.

Clarecastle entries about to close

ENTRIES close on Monday for the Clarecastle Show (Sunday, August 11th), where Michael Ring TD, who this week announced his retirement from politics, will perform the official opening. Classes, offering some of the best prize money in the country, include Irish Draught youngstock and Shannon Connemaras, the fully-subscribed Banner Broodmare championship and All-Ireland colt foal final. The show has a new home at Claremount (V95X2NE) just outside Clarecastle and admission is free. See the Clarecastle Show Facebook page, or call 085-78-6665.

Horse tests positive for controlled medication

IRISH Equitation School horse LMK Derry tested positive for the sedative 2-(1-hydroxyethyl) promazine sulfoxide after a random test at a qualifier at The Meadows, Lurgan, in May. It is not a banned substance, but it is a controlled medication, which cannot be used during competitions. In a statement, the Irish Defence Forces said an investigation was “unable to identify or ascertain how the horse came to be in contact with that medication” and that it “would have no beneficial performance enhancing effect on LMK Derry”.

“This sedative is prescribed for use in a variety of situations, such as the exercise of horses returning from restricted activity due to injury,” the statement read. As a result, both horse and rider, Lt Michaeli Byrne, were disqualified and Lt Byrne was fined €1,000. There is no suggestion that Lt Byrne was responsible for administering the sedative.