SCARTEEN’s Chris Ryan shared Harold McGahern’s passion for hunting and the Irish horse and, as an organiser of performance qualifiers for the Dublin Horse Show, was often in contact with the Co Longford native.

“Harold, Ronnie MacMahon and Lars Bjoerk co-founded the young event horse programme, formerly the Future Event Horse League (FEHL) and, latterly, the Young Eventhorse Series (YES).

“With Ronnie’s passing and Lars’s retirement, Harold has steered this ship through thick and thin for many years. His passion for the young event horse knew no bounds and his reward was very evidently the high-class horses which came through and profited from this programme.

“Tirelessly travelling up and down the country for both YES and all the Irish Draught and Connemara RDS qualifiers, he’d arrive with a sparkle in his eye, a smile on his face and an excitement at what horses were going to be competing on the day. What comes to mind is that lovely photograph of Harold at the RDS with his bowler hat on and that smile says it all.”