I FARM a beef herd near Glasson, Athlone and part of the enterprise is my equine breeding programme. I have Irish Sport Horses, Irish Draught and Connemara mares. My father always kept horses and trained them for ploughing and pulling the cart and trap.

I rode horses from my home in Killinure, Glasson to Longford Fair, we would meet the late Francis and Tim Derwin in Glasson village and travel together.