ALL-IRELAND final titles are a strong feature of the autumn circuit as the 2026 show season winds down. One of the first of these will be decided at Tydavnet (August 15th).

The open three-year-old title was already decided in a smashing final hosted at Bannow and Rathangan Show last month, when John Burchill’s Ballard Highway Lad won out.

Next Saturday decides the three-year-old filly crown at the Drumlin County show, held in Drumshervra, Scotstown. This is the second year that the Co Monaghan show, celebrating its 73rd anniversary in 2026, has hosted this final

Monaghan county is synonymous with top names in the equestrian world, from international show jumper Clem McMahon, Pacino, Eamon and Gladys McArdle’s Drumhowan Stud, Flagmount Diamond - sire of Nick Skelton’s Dublin Grand Prix winner Hopes Are High - where Olympic medallist greats, such as Ringwood Cockatoo and Ben Along Time were foaled.

This theme is repeated at many of the other shows, such is the deep equine heritage found all around Ireland. There’s the usual range of country show classes at Tydavnet and, in another Monaghan link, the first ridden class winner will also claim the Big Tom Cup!

www.tydavnetshow.ie

More in the Golden Vale

Further south, on the same date, Cappamore celebrates its 70th anniversary. Cattle and equine classes are always competitive at this show, held in the heart of the Golden Vale.

The presentation of the Coolgreen Cup for the Irish Draught mare and foal class, judged on a 50/50 basis, is a poignant one this year, as Margaret Gleeson passed away in June.

Synonymous with her local show, Margaret was the first woman chairperson of an agricultural show, and both she and her late husband Pat were a welcome sight ringside for years.

Amongst the horse classes is a Limerick Lady qualifier, a championship again long associated with the Gleesons.

DAFM’s Breeding Grant Initiative funding has beefed up the prize money in the young horse classes, where there are six individual classes, now becoming a seldom-seen sight at most shows.

www.cappamoreshow.ie

The day after both shows, Mohill hosts its Leitrim Breeders’ championship (Sunday, August 16th). Again, another loss felt in the Irish Draught world this year as the final was championed for years by the late Michael Casey.

This is the Leitrim show’s 97th anniversary.

www.mohillagriculturalshow.com

Mohill Two-Step: The late Colm Costello with Killaneen George at Mohill in 2015 \ Susan Finnerty

Limerick calling

Both Limerick and Moate shows take place the following week (Sunday, August 23rd) and both feature All Irelands. Limerick hosts the ISA two-year-old Irish Draught filly final and several TIHA championships, including the Limerick Lady and Matron finals.

Started off by the Hunter Improvement Society, later the Traditional Irish Horse Association, the Limerick Lady championship is for two-year-old traditionally-bred fillies, and the Matron broodmare class is confined to former graduates.

A Croker Cup will be won this year as the Limerick family presented silverware to both its local show and the RDS to be awarded to the champion broodmare and thoroughbred stallion respectively.

While insufficient entries caused the cancellation of that stallion class, which normally took place today in Ring 1, it’s full steam ahead for Limerick’s Croker counterpart.

Another keenly-contested cup at Limerick Show, held at the local racecourse in Patrickswell, is the Liam Meade Cup in honour of Cheltenham bumper winner Dunguib’s breeders. Like his father Patrick, Liam also served as secretary of his local show and this cup is presented to the champion foal’s connections.

Although young horse entries have been light throughout the year, Limerick’s ridden horse and pony classes attract good numbers.

Apart from the usual equine and livestock sections, two innovative additions to the show are a Careers Village and Sustainability and AgTech Hub.

www.limerickshow.ie

Fenyas Elegance, with owner PJ Hegarty and Dot Browne after the Ricardo Z filly was the All Ireland filly foal champion at Moate in 2004 \ Susan Finnerty

Midlands gathering

Just as Limerick moved from its former site at Greenpark Racecourse to Patrickswell in 1997, Moate too made its own move. Both shows organise free shuttle buses to draw the urban footfall and boost attendance.

Moate now takes place at its Dublin Road location, in Browne’s Fields. First held in 1839, the midlands fixture is one of Ireland’s oldest agricultural shows, and this will be the 183rd running of Moate Show.

From an equine angle, the centrepiece is the ISA All-Ireland filly foal final, which, like Bannow and Rathangan, has produced five-star eventers from former All-Ireland champion graduates.

In a World Championship year, the most fitting and famous of these is the PJ Hegarty-bred Fenyas Elegance. An All-Ireland champion filly foal here in 2004, she went on to compete a decade later at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy with Aoife Clark. The Ricardo Z mare also competed at top level with Oliver Townend.

Moate is yet another show to offer a range of classes from lead rein ponies to ridden hunter champion.

www.moateshow.ie

Back to the Treaty County for one of the final pre-back-to-school outings at Clonshire Country Day (Sunday, August 30th). Held at Clonshire, nearby Adare is already a hive of activity, as the heritage town prepares to host the Ryder Cup next year.

More riders will be catered for at the Country Day, from the typical ridden horse and pony classes to hosting the penultimate leg of the Irish Pony Club mounted games league.

A welcome move is listing the horse and pony showing section’s judges on the Clonshire schedule, which also includes a new bitless horse class and the introduction of a working hunter section.

www.clonshirecountryshow.com

Autumn days

Autumn will be closing in when the Scariff Show and the TIHA performance championships take place (Sunday, September 6th).

This is Scariff’s 80th anniversary show and one of its main attractions is the ISA All-Ireland colt foal final. Like the three-year-old filly final, it has gone on a ‘Discover Ireland’ tour in recent years before landing at this east Clare host show. It’s good to see show jumping on the schedule too in the Blake and White families’ heartland.

www.scariffshowsociety.com

Further north, the Mullingar Equestrian Centre is the convenient midlands location for the TIHA performance championship.

In-hand classes, such as the Limerick Lady and young horses, will already have been held at Limerick Show - this September outing for traditional-breds and their component breeds, is more for flat and performance-ridden classes.

These include three-year-old loose jumping classes, divided into colt/gelding and filly sections, before the overall supreme championship.

Thoroughbreds, one of the cornerstones of the Traditional Irish Horse, are also catered for with their own performance class at this championship, another to benefit to the tune of €15,000 from the DAFM Breeding Grant Initiative.

www.traditionalirishhorse.com