READERS of a certain age will remember Ruth Rogers with great affection. She was very much part of my youth and my early days going racing, though she moved away from that area and, consequently, out of many racing people’s radar.

Thankfully, I reconnected with Ruth through my role at The Irish Field and for many years now she has been a champion of the Connemara pony in this paper, and a hugely popular contributor to the Irish Horse World and to our Dublin Horse Show magazine. Her death late on Tuesday night has left us feeling numb and saddened.

Many tributes have been paid to Ruth and will be again next week.

For me, first and foremost, she was a delight to meet. Just a few weeks ago we had lunch at the Mullingar International Show and she was in sparkling form. Earlier this year Isabel Hurley, our Irish Horse World editor, surprised Ruth with a contribution to the industry award, much to her shock but ultimately her delight. She was moved to tears by the tribute.

From a famous racing family, she honed her skill as a photojournalist and can be said, without fear of contradiction, to have been one of the best in the business. The multitude of awards she won attest to that. Ruth was regularly feted by her peers.

Her sphere of expertise was much wider than simply equine or equestrian and Ruth made a major contribution to the world of greyhound racing, and was also a well-known figure across the water at events such as the Waterloo Cup. Various roles she was given on state bodies again show the esteem in which she was held.

In recent years Ruth gave me some precious gifts, books relating to her family’s involvement in racing and breeding, and she wanted me to have them as a token of appreciation for recalling the contribution made by her forebears in some articles I wrote. She was grateful that they were not forgotten, just as Ruth herself will never be forgotten by anyone who knew her.

This week we also said goodbye to John Corcoran, a man who made a significant contribution to Irish business and to the worlds of racing and breeding. Yet he did so in the latter sphere without flying high, waving banners or shouting from the rooftops. Rather, he enjoyed the company of family and close friends and his name will forever be linked with a couple who knew him better than most, Jim and Jackie Bolger. Their most recent big race winner together as breeders was Group 1 hero Verbal Dexterity.