Roundstone News 25th September 2006

All Ireland supreme Champion of Champions Sunday 24th September:

We were so blessed with the weather for the Champion of Champions show held in Roundstone yesterday with a very good crowd with just over 100 ponies to be shown.

The Judges were Jane Needham from Shropshire in England with Kieran Mullen from County Clare, with ring Steward Henry Whyte.

The general feeling that having complete outsiders to Judge the classes worked very well.

It was also noted that there were some very prominent people that are involved with horses and ponies in one form or another, a good few journalists, and a film crew from France for channel 5.

Frank Fahy minister for Justice and Law Reform spoke a few words to the public on the Show Grounds.

A good many photos of the day with the winners will be on the Roundstone Website site in a day or two

All Ireland Supreme Champion of Champions:

Sponsored by; Canada Life & Future “wealth & Protection”

Congratulations to Padraic & Nicola Heanue from Clifden with their Mare

“Castle Cailin Ard” as the supreme all Ireland Champion

Reserve all Ireland Champion

Roger Joyce from Oughterard with his stallion “Knockillaree Thomas”.

The Junior Champion

Sponsored by: The O’Cillin Family in honour of Séan O’Cillin.

Laura & Roger Brady from Claremorris with their three year old filly “Vinura Lola”

Reserve Junior Champion

John Joe O’Neill from Caherlistrane, Co Galway with his yearling Colt “Caherlistrane Prince”

Foal champion:

Sponsored by: Sherry Fitzgerald Kavanagh, Galway & Clifden

Esther Feeney, Atlantic Connemara Pony Stud, Moycullen with their colt foal “Atlantic Tiger”

Reserve Champion Foal:

Thomas Conneely, Clifden with their Filly Foal “Moonlight Lady”.

The show committee thank and are most grateful for all the sponsorships that were received to make this show such a success

For fuller results, in a day or two these will be also posted on the website, and from Ruth Rodgers, journalist in the next addition of the Irish field. I have just received a wonderful Email five minutes ago from Anne Holland, Journalist and Author of many Horse books, who attended the show unfortunately there is no time to read it out, however it will also be posted on the Roundstone website.

www.roundstone.ie & www.roundstoneponyshow.com

So very many congratulations to all the winners, it was a superb day, ending off with the parade through the village of all the winners.

It also has to be said the work effort from the committee, with all the different talents, made the show run very smoothly.

Next years show for the Champion of Champions has already been set for the 15th September 2007.

Roundstone Gun Club:

We had a meeting last night with various members of the community to revive once again the Roundstone Gun Club.The dreaded mink have struck again.

A friend of mine purchased 100 six week old pheasants with the idea to release them in to the wild to try and rear them in the wild. These pheasants were given out to six people within the area to be released, not to be shot but to see if we can get them to breed in the wild. Bearing in mind these birds could fly, the mink struck again to my neighbours pens and killed a few.

We are now getting desperate, therefore we are going to start the Roundstone Gun Club again, to try and control the vermin and have Larsen traps built (to trap grey Crows and Magpies) with regular vermin shoots. We do have a few young people in the village who are very keen to help us out, and want to learn about conservation and game keeppering therefore work with us adults that have guns. We have also talked about for years to set grey leg partridge and Grouse back into the wild, (believe it or not in the early fifties and sixties these birds thrived) but this can not be accomplished unless there is proper vermin control, otherwise we are just wasting our time.

Baby Boy:

Congratulations to new gran Parents Eddy and Cathy Joyce, their son Kenneth and Karen Fahy gave birth to a baby boy 7lbs 11oz in Galway yesterday, and they have named the wee lad “Oisian” so good wishes to everybody. Congratulations to Joe Rafferty, who is now a great Grand father, little “Oisian” can’t have all the fame.

Condolences;

Our Hearts and prayers go to the Mullen Family, Bernie; Pat Mullen’s wife lost her sister Anne a few days ago, and was buried today.

May she rest in peace?

Roundstone Beech Committee;

Last week on the news section I mentioned the award that the Roundstone Beech committee received from the GCC National Heritage Award for their on going work on Gurteen and Dogs Bay, in fact they were the overall winners.

I had no photos at that time.

(Left to right, Joe Rafferty, James Conneely and Pat Mullen)

Tim Robinson:

Our own Tim Robinson will be launching his new Book “Connemara, listening to the wind” in Dublin on the 2nd October with an introduction by Liam Mac Con Iomaire, however there will be another celebration of his book in Roundstone at a later date. The book tell stories of the people that Tim met over the years relating to his map surveys, I have read a small part of the book, its very easy reading, and humorous, he has also mentioned some people from Roundstone within some of the chapters. I feel this book is a must and will be very good reading, Tim being very eloquent with the English language in his past books, it will be an easy read for people like me, (no offence meant Tim). We wish you luck with the launch

Article from Anne Holland, Journalist and Author:

PORRIDGE AT MIDNIGHT –

The Tale of Three Ladies in Roundstone

Every now and again one stumbles across the sort of event that not even a recent bang on the head (fell off my horse) is going to spoil. One such was the occasion of the All Ireland Supreme Champion of Champions Roundstone Connemara Pony Show where I found myself in late September with two English girlfriends.

Not that I saw the earliest classes: thinking I had gone ahead with Jane the Judge, Liz duly locked up the house – with me inside! I soon found another way out, walked the dogs, cooked a breakfast, and then strolled up leisurely from Errisbeg House to the delightful showground. But as I went in one way, Liz exited another to go and collect me and, after finding the house empty, spent the next two hours thinking I must be dead in a ditch somewhere… Earlier, discovering that Jane was down as judge, Richard was afraid she didn’t know and he set off to find her; but she was already there. It had been a very well kept secret – and ensured an unbiased view from someone who had not been on the summer circuit.

The show’s setting was superb. Where else can one find a venue surrounded by mountains (the Twelve Pins and, close to the coast, Errisbeg), sea, inlets, miles of wild Connemara landscape and a picture-book harbour and village – and the sun shining and warm all day? No wonder it is a favourite haunt of artists and writers.

Open only to Connemara ponies that had already won a first prize anywhere in Ireland this summer, some people had come from as far as Offaly and one all the way from Macroom in Cork. Every pony had been polished to the tenth degree, and then was cajoled to ensure its legs were placed just so, and its ears pricked and its head cocked, for the two consummate judges to scrutinise – and for the ringside spectators to chat about.

The show was the ‘baby’ of Connemara breeder Paddy the Yank McDonagh – he of tall stature and big beard – who found generous sponsorship, including a whopping €2,000 for the Supreme Champion. Paddy may spend the winter months in Florida at his Irish pub but having been born and reared here; he is part and parcel of Roundstone, as is our host par excellence, Papal duke Richard Duc de Stacpoole.

Between them and the rest of the committee and tireless secretary and catalogue coordinator Dawn Broome, the show ran like clockwork, to time, and with little niceties like the sand chute for entries for the next class to wait in, a separate exit being used for ponies after judging. There was an excellent catalogue which included an intriguing report of the first Connemara pony show held in Roundstone in 1924, opened by His Highness the Maharajah Jam Sahib of Nawanajar, accompanied by princesses and retinue, and attended by some 2,000 people, some of whom had travelled 20 miles on foot.

But back to the present day: little things like tea in decent china mugs and delicious homemade cakes, for very good value.

Friendly people, of all ages, shapes and sizes.

Beautiful wooden pony models sculpted by Iroquois Indians, given as a permanent memento for each winner. At the other end of the American scale, word has it that sponsor Senator Christopher Dodd is set to be the next President of the United States of America! Even a film crew was there, filming for a French national television station; rumour is that the Duc spoke flawless French in front of the camera. The Minister of Justice and Law Reform, Frank Fahy, was there, and officially opened the show; don’t think he had any princesses with him, though.

Roundstone is to be congratulated on its slick performance, right down to the parade of winners through the main street at the end of the day.

Oh, and I bought a beautiful dun colt foal, too. To be named Errisbeg Doon. From the show’s delightful president John Luskin. Something to do with the bang on the head, perhaps? Seems like a good reason to return to Roundstone. As if I needed any excuse! Meanwhile, it was supper in the village, lots and lots to talk about – and when we reached my home at midnight, three-quarters of the way back to Dublin, the ladies decided that as they were leaving for the ferry just 5½ hours later they would have their breakfast now. So there we have it: porridge at midnight - to round off a perfect day.