Charity Cheltenham preview night
THE Martin family of Norebrook Lounge in Clonakenny, Co Tipperary are delighted to be hosting their third annual Cheltenham preview night on Thursday, February 26th. There will be an auction and raffle on the night, and the main beneficiary will be the Liam Brereton Support Fund. A nephew of dual-purpose trainer Denis Hogan, Liam was involved in a devastating car accident, which has left him with life-changing injuries. The goal of the fund is to help his family invest in his rehabilitation, home adaptions, mobility equipment and specialist care, so that Liam can live as independently as possible.
Tickets available for breeders’ event
LIMITED tickets are still available for the popular Connect, Select and Grow event, which returns to Tullamore’s Bridge House Hotel on Thursday, February 26th. Hosted by Ireland’s Michael Doherty and Sweden’s Emma Thorén Hellsten, the 2026 edition of Connect, Select and Grow will feature four focused sessions. Among the speakers will be Pieter-Jan Stijns, Belgian breeder and founder of Equisem and Commdt. Geoff Curran of the Irish Army Equitation School. The event runs from 6pm to 10pm and has a capacity of 100 attendees. Tickets can be purchased via www.michaeldoherty.ie/insights until February 19th, but may close sooner if event capacity is reached.
SJI dispute settled and CEO named
A HIGH Court dispute between the directors of the Showjumping Association of Ireland has been settled through private mediation. In August of last year, the Board was restrained by a High Court injunction from voting on a resolution, which proposed to remove its chairman and three other directors. Mediation was held last Friday and, on Thursday, a statement read to the court said the parties to the proceedings had reached an agreement. The judge struck out the proceedings with no order as to costs.
In other SJI news, it has been confirmed that Pat Hanly has been appointed CEO of Showjumping Ireland. Pat has over 25 years of industry experience gained as Show Director of the Dublin Horse Show and as Deputy Chief Executive and Finance Director of the RDS.
Equine Summit 2026 approaches
KILDARE County Council is inviting bookings for its Equine Summit 2026 event entitled Pathways and Possibilities: Careers in the Irish Equine Sector. The event will take place on Thursday, March 5th, at The Curragh Racecourse and runs from 8am to 5pm. Through a series of expert panels, attendees will discover how the equine sector sustains thousands of jobs, supports communities and contributes to our reputation on the world stage. Attendance is free of charge, but must be booked in advance (see more details on page 4).
Equestrian coach sentenced to jail
A 68-YEAR-OLD equestrian coach who abused his position of trust by raping a 14-year-old, after grooming her by giving her alcohol and equestrian clothing, has been jailed.
The Cork Central Criminal Court heard that the woman had waited six years for William Connolly of Greenlands, Rathcoursey, Midleton, Co Cork, to go on trial for his four-month abuse of her in 2019. Connolly denied three counts of rape, two counts of oral rape, four counts of sexual assault and one count of exploitation of a child for the purpose of sexual activity, but the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all three counts of rape, one count of oral rape, two counts of sexual assault and the exploitation of a child for the purpose of sexual activity charge after 11 hours and 55 minutes of deliberation. On Friday, Judge Siobhán Lankford said Connolly was guilty of a huge breach of trust as she sentenced him to nine years in jail without grounds for suspending any part of that term.