EVERY year, there are a couple of stalwarts missing from race meetings, sales, fairs and the ringside. Miceál Casey, or Michael as he was also widely known as, is another such recent loss.

For decades, the 97-year-old Leitrim man and his wife and lifelong companion, Madge, were a constant sight at shows; Michael judging or just out for a day. Armed with catalogues, the couple were usually accompanied by good friends Padraig Fitzpatrick and the late Jenny Harte Lavin, all watching intently from the ringside.

Irish Draughts, Connemaras, in-hand horses and ponies, Michael judged all. His love of the breed was lifelong, from growing up in Springfield, near Mohill, in the 1930s.

His namesake father Michael was a ploughman. “Nowadays you’d say he was an agricultural contractor, because he did ploughing and mowing throughout the parish. The land in south Leitrim was not suitable for oats or barley, so you would have a different type horse around here. They were great dual-purpose workers and what we’d call good ‘road horses’ for going to town and the creamery. And every horse was 99% Irish Draught or Draught type,” Michael said in his ‘Leitrim Legend’ feature during the West of the Shannon series in 2017.

He later followed in his father’s proverbial furrow, working in the fields. “When I finished one field, I’d jump my horse across the drain, then pull the plough across; otherwise, you’d have to go a mile around the road!”

‘Shanks pony’ was the transport means to local shows. Michael accompanied his father, a keen exhibitor, to Carrick-on-Shannon and Ballinamore shows, where their horses won prizes and RDS premiums.

Michael was the only one of his two brothers, including his late twin Tommy, who was interested in horses. His encyclopaedic knowledge of the Irish Draught and pedigrees began by listening to and learning from the generations before him.

“There was a stallion yard across Main Street from school and I’d steal out of the gate at lunchtime and into the stallion yard to listen to all the old men. I was very, very interested in learning about pedigrees.”

In turn, readers learned of Mohill’s history as he recounted the three fairs that took place in this “best market town around. The February fair was known as the Manchán fair, after the patron saint of Mohill, when people came from all over Ireland to buy cattle and horses. Up to 10 Irish Draught stallions would parade along the street during the May fair.”

It was also the era of horses travelling by rail and Michael recalled the old narrow-gauge railway, which then ran “from Mohill on to Belturbet. Sometimes Faughnans would put the stallions on the train and travel them as far as Strokestown”.

Michael Casey

Favourite stallion

At their Faulties Stud, the Faughnan family stood Lahinch, regarded by Michael as his favourite Irish Draught stallion.

“He was a very good horse, with four good limbs. I always like a stallion to stamp his stock and I don’t think there was a stallion like him for improving limbs. You could go to a fair and pick the Lahinch horses out by their great set of limbs, great flat bone, forearms and movement. He would float when he’d cover the ground.”

Michael used Lahinch for his Ben Purple mare Springfield Star, bred in Co Cork by Dan Buckley. A winner of the mare championship at his local show, Springfield Star qualified twice for the Greenvale final in Millstreet and at Oughterard, was champion mare while her foal Duleek Hero won the western foal final. In total, Springfield Star bred four stallions: Duleek Hero, Cummer Hero, Springfield Prince and Laughton’s Legend.

Another noted prize winner for the family was the Glengarriff mare Springfield Daisy and her Achill daughter Springfield Dawn, the dam of The Galway Boy, an Irish Draught stallion.

Lahinch was picked out by the late Department stallion inspector Dick Jennings, who also inspected mares for premiums and Dublin Horse Show invitations (Michael’s mare Springfield Dawn was selected for Dublin in 1967). “He [Dick] was a perfect gentleman and had a great way with people. I think he put the horse industry on the right footing.”

Going to shows then was a great sales outlet for the Casey family, whose local show - Mohill - takes place in mid-August. Michael first attended Mohill Show in 1934, rode in the Farmers’ Race and only missed one year when his mother passed away before show day. Michael was hugely proud of its flagship event: the Leitrim Breeders’ mare and foal championship.

Michael’s judging career began when he judged at the two-day Claremorris show, “with Josie Kerins, from Clare. A great character and very helpful man, so I paid full attention to him during the two days. The following week, I got a letter from Galway County Show, got another letter from Mountbellew and it just took off from there.”

He judged in each of the 32 counties, at All-Ireland finals and on Irish Draught inspection tours in England and America, where the inspectors that year were flown to the various venues by private plane. He judged three times in Dublin: Irish Draughts and Connemaras, firmly maintaining that the Connemara was a “small edition of the Irish Draught”.

One memorable ‘Discover Ireland’ tour took place after he and the late Brian Wall judged at Finn Valley in Co Donegal on Saturday, then drove that night down to Cork to judge at the Summer Show before returning home that night.

Great friend

Another great friend was Padraig Fitzpatrick, whom he first met at Mohill Show and remained friends with for almost 60 years. The friends and Madge are pictured at a blustery and wet Louisburgh Show, staying put until all the championships were judged.

One of the family’s favourite anecdotes about Michael is courtesy of Louisburgh Show’s Tommy Bennett. “Do you know, if you told Michael Casey now that there was a Draught horse at the top of Croagh Patrick, he’d say ‘Come on, let’s go look.’?”

That story, plus Michael’s love of horses, country life, his 28-year service in the Mohill Fire Service and most of all, his devotion to Madge, was told at the funeral service by his nephew Michael.

Another family member - Colm Reynolds - set up his Rooskeynamona Irish Draughts, thanks to the Mohill man. “Miceál was our late Dad’s first cousin and introduced us to the Irish Draught breed back in 1994. If talking about country life and horses, he could talk all day; football or other topics maybe not so long!” said Colm’s brother, Eamon.

Another generation of Irish Draught ownership, encouraged and initiated by Miceál Casey, known for his advice and knowledge.

Míceál will be sadly missed and remembered with love by his wife Madge, his nephews Michael, Gerry, Pat Farrell, Liam Farrell, his niece Ann Casey, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, great-grandnephews, neighbours and many friends in the native breed and show worlds.

S.F