THE hugely talented Ciara O’Connor had only two rides at this year’s Gallagher Dublin Horse Show, but made them count as she won the Junior/Young Rider event horse championship on Ashwood Rio and the younger Connemara performance hunter championship on Firbolg Dun.

It’s the latter success that concerns us here, Fiona Gahan’s seven-year-old gelding running out a three-point winner of the five to seven-year-old class over the reserve champion, Shawnee Shadow (266.5), a seven-year-old Bay Shadow gelding ridden by Ciara Lane for her mother Bernadette.

All but three of the 16 starters were clear over the Dereck Hamilton-designed track. That trio included Seamus McCoy’s six-year-old Corabbey Sebastian gelding Corabbey Sawyer who, however, having topped the conformation scores of Britain’s Terry Pendry, finished third (265.5) under Jason Furlong.

Bred in Co Galway by Dermot Connolly, Firbolg Dun (Kippure Columbus - Colleen Or Bui, by Ross Fear Bui) was purchased sight unseen by Gahan as a four-year-old from Gemma Murphy and her mother Michelle O’Rourke.

“This is a brilliant pony to hunt, while he has been clear every time he has gone cross-country,” said Gahan of her winner. “My 14-year-old son Fionnan (Nolan) has hunted him with the Islands, has competed him at SJI shows and in Irish Pony Club events. Last year, they qualified first time out for [the] eventing championships, which they did again this year, so we are next heading to Tatts.

“Ciara has also hunted the pony so, as Fionnan was too young to ride him at Dublin, we asked her to do so last year, when they finished fifth, and again this year. They qualified first time out at Tullylish. I’d a feeling that buying him sight unseen would work out and Michelle was at Dublin both last year and this to support us.”

Abigail Kenny and Hogan The Brave won the Performance Connemara class for older ponies at the 2026 Gallagher Dublin Horse Show \ 1st Class Images

Brooke Kenny (15) finished joint-fourth in that younger class on Cupid’s Magic Shadow (265). The seven-year-old Silver Shadow gelding is owned by the rider’s parents, Graham and Cassandra, owners also of the eight to 15-year-old championship winner, Hogan The Brave, who was partnered by their elder daughter Abigail (17).

The winner (on a score of 282.5), who won the EI100 (J) at Hillcrest in May on the first of just two starts this season under Eventing Ireland rules, is an eight-year-old grey gelding by Silver Shadow. He was bred in Co Wicklow by Avril Hobson out of her Grange Merlin Surf mare Ocean Annilaun Evette. Both Cupid’s Magic Shadow and Hogan The Brave qualified for these championships at Forth Mountain.

Among those on hand to support the Kenny sisters on Wednesday was former international event rider Katie O’Sullivan, a noted young horse producer who is based at the Kenny family’s Fairymount Farm in Co Tipperary and is always generous with her advice. On Sunday, Abigail and Hogan The Brave finished third in the 158cm working hunter class, which was won by the section’s reserve champion, Kontiki. Hobson was there to see the pair compete that day, but missed their mid-week success.

Back to Wednesday’s Connemara performance class, where Abbey O’Driscoll filled the reserve slot on her own nine-year-old Mountain Cascade gelding Caoranbeg Comanche (281) and Eliza-Jane Queally placed third with the similarly-aged Coosheen Stormboy mare Glenrock Lisa (278). There was one non-completion among the 15 starters, with 10 of those who did finish recording clear rounds.

“Wednesday was a very special day,” commented Graham Kenny, whose amateur jockey son Scott, who is based with Enda Bolger, attended the show.

“When Brooke finished fourth we thought if that’s the best we do that’s great, then along came the win,” he said.

Following the show, the Kenny sisters and their ponies attended the Tiggy’s Trust training camp at Punchestown in advance of competing in the CCI1* at Scone Palace, Scotland at the end of the month.

As with all Connemara pony classes at the Gallagher Dublin Horse Show, these performance hunter championships continue to be sponsored by Berney Bros Saddlery.