Anne Gormley RIP
THE equestrian community were saddened to hear of the passing of Anne Gormley from Granard in Co Longford who died on Tuesday, May 20th, in her 92nd year. A lifelong horsewoman, Anne hunted five days a week in her prime and ran a successful jewellery and antique shop in Granard for over 50 years, retiring at the age of 90. Beloved wife of Brian and much-loved mother to Eileen (Tony), Maeve (Donal) and Grainne (Niall), Anne will be lovingly missed by her family and friends. Her funeral mass was held on Friday in Carra Church.
Jimmy McDermott RIP
THE west of Ireland is mourning the passing of Jimmy McDermott from Emoe, Kilteevan, Co Roscommon who passed away unexpectedly on May 22nd, 2025.
A renowned horseman and dealer, he will be lovingly missed by his wife Mary, children Ita and Sean, son-in-law Shane, Sean’s partner Jenni, his adored grandchildren Annie and Isla, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, extended family, great neighbours and many good friends.
Jimmy is reposing at Smyth’s Funeral Home, Roscommon on Saturday evening from 5pm-7pm. His funeral mass will take place to St Joseph’s Church, Kilteevan at 12.30pm on Monday.
RDS Anglesea Stand progress
THE first piece of the new Anglesea Stand has been officially laid. In an update, the RDS said: “This marks a significant milestone in our regeneration journey. This special occasion was shared by RDS President, John Dardis, RDS Director of Estates, Greg Power and Project Coordinator, Aws Vidal alongside our partners in Elliott Group, Alan Clarke, Contracts Director, Gary O’Sullivan, Managing Director ROI and Ronan Glennon, Contracts Manager.”
The stand was demolished at the end of 2024 and is part of a wider €52 million regeneration of the 43-acre campus which is due to be completed in time for the 2026 Dublin Horse Show.
Athenry Agricultural Show
ATHENRY Agricultural Show takes place tomorrow, Sunday May 25th at Teagasc Mellows Campus, Athenry, Co Galway. The show will feature a wide range of in-hand showing classes with qualifiers in a range of categories.
Show jumping will also take place. There will also be a family fun day, with plenty to see and do. The full schedule is available on www.athenryagrishow.com
ARKEquine to distribute Haygain
ARKequine has been appointed the official distributor for Haygain hay steamers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This partnership brings Haygain’s science-backed steaming technology to a wider Irish audience, helping improve forage hygiene and equine respiratory health. Haygain steamers eliminate up to 99% of dust, mould, and bacteria from hay, making it more palatable and reducing waste. Already trusted by Olympic riders, vets, and rehabilitation centres worldwide, the products are now more accessible to Irish horse owners through ARKequine.
Kilworth and Araglen Harriers fundraiser and family fun day
KILWORTH and Araglen Harriers committee are in the process of preparing for one of their biggest fundraisers of the year - their dog show and family fun day, which is taking place on Sunday, June 1st in Araglen Community Field (P61 EC59). On the day there is a wide variety of classes for hounds, terriers, lurchers and pets.
There is also a qualifier for the Five Nations which is taking place in Carlow this year and there are golden tickets up for grabs for the overall champion and reserve champion in the whippet, lurcher and terrier classes. There will be plenty of fun on the day for all the family including a brand-new kiddie’s corner with lots of new additions to keep the kids happy for the day.
Top 10 for Connor in Aachen
IRELAND’S James Connor and the Chiara Olper-owned 12-year-old Westphalian gelding Vanotti scored 65.239% for 10th place in the Grand Prix at the three-star show in Aachen, Germany on Monday.
Connor was close to achieving the first of two 66.00% minimum eligibility requirement (MER) qualifying scores for the 2025 FEI Dressage European Championships to be held in Crozet, France in the last week of August.
The former World Equestrian Games Team Ireland rider then placed 11th in the Grand Prix Special on a 65.234% total.