ROWS of silverware on display, an opportunity to thank sponsors and the local community in advance of the big day, banter, photos and an air of expectation and hope for another good event - show launch occasions have a certain familiarity.
Yet every show has a different USP, as seen in each of these four upcoming shows.
It’s naive though to think that running a show doesn’t have challenges. The issue of dwindling numbers of exhibitors in in-hand classes is twinned with fewer volunteers, willing to spend an evening hammering in posts, setting up show rings and standing at the gate collecting entrance money. Meanwhile, the growth of ridden horse class entries is countered by a shortage of ride judges.
Organisers across the horse world face rafts of paperwork, insurance requirements and safety regulations, including anti-doping measures and essential Child Protection safeguarding procedures.
Traditional sponsorship sources, such as local businesses, are often tapped out while most exhibitors increasingly weigh up the price of entry fees and show day costs vs prize money.
So you’d have to admire the spirit of those original committee members, who first gathered at a meeting to start their local show and the current guardians. Or the ‘Clare champion’, who started Clarecastle Show just 10 years ago and whose mission is to reward owners and breeders.
As a picture is worth a thousand words, a dip into these four shows’ albums finds four that tell the background stories of shows: a busy paramedic and mum is the picture of elegance on a delightful dun at Charleville; the grandfather who drove from Kilkenny to Athlone for a lead rein class; the iconic pairing of two horsemen to judge Bannow and Rathangan’s All-Ireland final and the three Michaels: quiet legends of the Irish horse world at Clarecastle.
When Hunger Strikes: “Ssssh! Don’t tell Mammy I gave you the crisps!” .. grandad John Hickey, who travelled up from Kilkenny to lead his grandson Ned Farrell, from Newtowncashel, in the family pony leadrein class at Athlone breaks out the emergency rations \ Susan Finnerty
Athlone
Sunday, June 21st is the local show date of Ireland’s most central town. Which all means that the 2026 date falls on both the longest day of the year and, for many Show Dads, a ringside picnic and stop on the drive home to celebrate Father’s Day.
Show chairman PJ Glynn is well acquainted with celebrating the day on-site and daughter Melissa returns for a fourth year as the assistant general secretary, alongside Oliver Flanagan (general secretary).
Athlone (www.athloneshow.ie) was one of four previous qualifier shows for the RDS Breeders’ Championship and has been a lucky qualifying venue for several owners.
For example, three of last year’s champions and reserves in The Irish Field Breeders’ championship qualified at this midland show.
Both the eventing section champion - Martin and Mary Murphy’s Castlegate Sweet Emotion (Mermus R) and her Sligo Candy Boy colt foal - and the reserve, Hurst Show Team’s LCC Yoko (Iroko) with a Caspar 232 colt - represented Athlone in the Dublin final last year.
Pat Finn’s Penelope (Jardonnay VDL) and her Diarado filly FSH Ruby qualified too at Athlone and this combination went on to finish reserve in the show jumping division, in what turned out to be the final year of the Breeders’ Championship.
The decision by the RDS to cancel this combination mare and foal final was not well met by loyal supporters, and one potential fallout is fewer mare and foal class entries at previous qualifier host shows.
However, a number of shows have stepped up to provide breeder-exhibitors with championship opportunities this summer.
In Athlone’s case, the committee have come up with a new broodmare and foal combination championship with a prize fund of €5,000, kindly sponsored by Jim Derwin Equestrian. This will be the feature event of 100+ equine classes, spread out over seven rings on Michael O’Donohoe’s farm at Garnafeilagh.
Three other Dublin qualifiers are in this year’s schedule: the always-popular Racehorse to Riding Horse and both the intermediate and ladies’ side-saddle classes. A new addition this year is a Side Saddle Ireland-affiliated junior class, plus 14 qualifiers for various ISA finals.
Athlone has often proved a first step to success for exhibitors looking to clock up valuable ‘atmosphere mileage’ on younger horses. Last year’s Dublin hunter champion - PJ Casey’s Raglan Road (HHS Cornet) - gained his first tricolour of the 2025 season here.
Adding to the atmosphere is a range of livestock classes and the now-essential family entertainment. And music, as this year’s guest performer is Declan Nerney, plus a jiving competition in the afternoon.
Fr Shay Casey spoke about the importance of agriculture and the local community at the launch of the 2026 show, so a fitting addition is the Made In The Midlands Food and Craft Village to highlight local artisan producers.
Attracting the essential urban footfall is now vital for many shows and Athlone Show-goers will have a free shuttle bus from the town centre.
Bannow and Rathangan
This week’s mini heatwave is a timely reminder that on the second Thursday of July, locals and non-locals alike down tools for the day and head to Bannow & Rathangan Show.
This year’s diamond anniversary show is also a reminder and tribute to the first committee members who sat down 75 years ago and began planning their very first ‘Bannow’ show.
The legacy of those pioneer members is well carried by the current team, including show president Walter Kent, chairperson Betty Stafford, and the dynamo that is the show secretary, Liz Freeman.
July 9th is the date of this year’s 75th anniversary show in Killag, just a sea breeze away from Kilmore Quay. Plans for a special anniversary book (which will be incorporated into a similar book brought out for the show’s 50th anniversary), were also revealed at the show launch.
The sheer scale of this Wexford show (www.bannowrathanganshow.com), held on the White family’s farm, has to be seen. Show jumping rings run from morning throughout the day and Bannow’s classes have a strong association with local sponsors, such as the Pettitts SuperValu chain, Aloga Equestrian, Nevilles Hotels, Trinity Motors and Arctic Tack Stud, plus many more loyal supporters.
The show’s All-Ireland three-year-old final is a classic. First started as a cross-border initiative and run in conjunction with the ISA, the championship has been sponsored since Year 1 by Galway Irish Crystal & Belleek Living.
Sponsorship is the lifeblood of any show; retaining a sponsor is often a challenge, but the fact that another business has stood by the final since it began is proof of the final’s value and the committee’s track record.
Another record is this All-Ireland final’s history of producing event horses, such as The Deputy, George Chapman’s 2005 champion. The Cult Hero gelding, bred by the late Jimmy Maguire in Gorey, recorded two top-10 Burghley places from his half-dozen five-star starts with New Zealand’s Jonelle Price.
Another five-star Bannow champion graduate is Killossery Jupiter Rising, long-listed for the Rio Olympics. Bred by June Atkinson, he is one of Bannow’s three All-Ireland champions by Master Imp and won here in 2008 for Bridget MacAuley.
The 2004 champion - Laura’s Ghareeb - also followed the same career route. The flashy Ghareeb chesnut was bred by Waterford dairy farmer Richard Drohan and evented up to three-star with German rider Anna Warnecke.
Qualifiers are already taking place around the country for this year’s final in that big arena and entries for the general Bannow & Rathangan classes close on the same date as Athlone Show: Sunday, June 21st.
There are in-hand and ridden horse and pony classes, plus working hunter and dressage classes. Bannow’s social media post about all equines must have their passport on show day is a timely reminder of this requirement.
Lucky locket: Emily Woods with side-saddle champion Coco Carel \ Susan Finnerty
Charleville
This north Munster fixture (June 27th-28th) is one of the few two-day agricultural shows now in the calendar. Like Bannow, the sheer volume of show day traffic is an indicator to anyone passing the show field that something major is happening in town that weekend.
Back in 1978, a local group spearheaded by the late Canon Donal O’Driscoll met in Cronins Hotel to discuss starting Charleville’s own agricultural show. Since then, the show has progressed in leaps and bounds, including the committee buying their own permanent show grounds in Ballyhea, on the town’s outskirts, in 1991.
Now headed by chairman John McNamara, Charleville is one of the most progressive and equine-oriented agricultural shows and devotes its entire first day of show classes to ponies. The evening highlight is the gathering of the various pony champions for the overall supreme pony championship and Joe Carroll Cup, chosen by the combined judging panel.
Day 1 also features the Charleville round of the Connolly’s Red Mills Munster Grand Prix league, now in its 16th year, and one of multiple classes in the busy show jumping rings.
Sunday sees the Ballyhea hillside, with its stunning Golden Vale views, busy with horse classes. Charleville’s track record of hosting UK judges often attracts exhibitors looking for another perspective on their ponies and horses.
Two of Sunday’s major championships in the ridden horse rings are the hunter and then overall supreme ridden horse championship. Again, both cups awarded to these champions are silver reminders of some of the greats of the north Munster area: the late Paddy Ball, a renowned producer of Dublin champions and the Dick Johnson perpetual trophy, presented by the family of the veterinary surgeon, blessed with a deep knowledge of north Cork’s equine history.
Included in Sunday’s supreme horse finale is the working hunter champion and both Saturday’s pony and Sunday’s horse classes include the famous Charleville bank as part of its working hunter course.
A pragmatic decision for this year is to combine Charleville’s broodmare, foal and young horse classes in one ring on Sunday. It will be interesting to see the overall numbers in broodmare and foal classes this summer, particularly at former Breeders’ Championship qualifying venues.
Charleville was the penultimate qualifier for The Irish Field Breeders’ Championship and Pakie Wafer’s 2022 eventing section champions - Parkmore Evita (Ghareeb) and her Tyson colt foal - were amongst the Charleville hopefuls that qualified here.
Charleville is another show fortunate to have a superb background team, led by show secretary Elaine Goold, who learned from one of the very best in Eleanor Fleming.
An excellent catalogue, full results availability and no late entries is another trademark of this show.
Show jumping, tradestands, livestock classes, Pony Club games on-stream throughout the day and musical entertainment await if you want to take a break from the Charleville showrings.
Unlikely though.
Man of Many Hats: David Hanrahan is known as much for his annual hat choice as his cheery greeting at the Clarecastle gate \ Susan Finnerty
Clarecastle
You could run out of superlatives about Clarecastle, the ‘new show on the block’, having first been held in 2016.
Back then, chairman Michael Slattery redesigned the typical show day schedule and so, Clarecastle is the show where there are no individual classes - straight in at the deep end with young horse, Irish Draught and Traditional Irish Horse championships.
All these will take place on Saturday, July 18th, in the Ardagh ring, one of numerous nods throughout the day to the Banner County’s heritage.
Likewise, the clever branding continues in the Banner ring, where this year’s broodmare championship has been elevated as the Banner Breeders; a 50-50 broodmare and foal combination format, with a €9,000 prize fund.
“All for the breeder” is the Clarecastle motto and, in addition to this superb prize money, a draw takes place for stallion nominations, worth €12,000, generously donated by their owners.
Having the next year’s stud fee taken care of and a tot of whiskey to take home - it’s a collaboration this year with Burren Whiskey, yet another Co Clare link - are Clarecastle traditions by now.
Plus, the lucky winner can stop off at a local filling station to refuel on the journey home, should they win the equine exhibitor’s voucher draw in each showring. A new gesture this year to help with rising show day costs.
The new €5,000 Fergus foal championship will also be judged in the Banner ring, while the Brian Boru ring features the young horse championships.
The Shannon ring holds the €5,000 Connemara section and, due to demand, more ridden and performance Connemara classes are added this year, alongside the in-hand and young handlers’ classes in this native pony section.
IPS classes, with a €3,000 prize fund, are also in the schedule (www.clarecastleshowsociety.ie). Again, there’s a no late entries policy with show secretary Nichola Shannon.
Since 2024, Clarecastle has found its home in Claremount with its perfect old turf footing. A dog show - under the Cú Chulainn banner; a selfie with An Góbha (Tom King, the Boyne Valley blacksmith-meets-Game of Thrones character lookalike) and meeting the Flying Alpacas, the four-legged feature of Clarecastle’s prize-winning St Patrick’s Day parade entry, are yet more show day attractions.
Last but not least, there is the unmissable presentation of the Clarecastle Medals to the often unsung Irish horse world greats, which takes place during the official opening ceremony.
Past recipients include Irish Draught doyenne Eileen Brennan; course builder and producer Ivan McDonagh; the Minister who introduced lifeline funding for Ireland’s agricultural shows - Michael Ring; horticulturist Dick O’Connell; equestrian journalist and commentator Michael Slavin; noted Traditional Irish Horse breeder and champion of shows Valerie Thorington, plus the Clarecastle Show chairman himself in a surprise presentation in 2024.
Irish Shows Association former presidents - Dorothea Lazenby, Michael Hughes and David Sheehan - have also been honoured, as have generations-long stallion owners, such as Slyguff Stud’s Frances Hatton, Grove Hill Stud’s Cyril Conway, Drummindoo Stud’s Paddy Joe Foy and Ballymureen Stud’s Paddy Quirke.
Finally, while shows... indeed, all events... undergo numerous challenges, there is always the lighter side of show life.
Clarecastle epitomises this through the guitar-strumming, cheerful character that is David Hanrahan, greeting showgoers on arrival wearing a different, colourful hat each year.
What his 2026 choice is, we can only guess.