YOU could sum up Dessie Gibson by saying he was one of a rare kind. A gifted showman; titles galore, absolutely. That was the public side. The personal qualities of the Dromara man came to the front line at a beautiful thanksgiving service led by Declan Walsh.
“Humanists value hard work, self reliance, determination and a connection to the natural world. Dessie Gibson was the very embodiment of those values. His life was defined by a profound simplicity and a single-minded devotion to his calling.
“Dessie was a man of many talents and, like all of us, he contained multitudes. He was not a sentimental man. Dessie saw beauty in the natural world around him, in the landscapes of County Down, in the foals that he raised, in farming, and in the excitement of the hunt.”
Born on May 1st, 1955, Dessie was the youngest of Hugh and Mary Elizabeth (Maisie) Gibson’s three children, along with sisters, Ivy and Lily. When his father fell ill, Dessie’s schooldays were shortened and he bypassed a place at Belfast Technical College to take over the family’s mixed livestock farm at Dromara.
And horses. His father had a formidable record and the young schoolboy helped to show their prolific broodmare Meta II at Balmoral. The same mare won five times at Dublin, setting the standard for Dessie.
His vet, Ian Moore, also spoke at the service, recalling how he first met Dessie through the hunting field. “He was a great man to go. He was a master [of the County Down Staghounds] between 1996 and 1998. And, on top of that, he was fieldmaster as well.
“His talent shone through in people and horses. He picked foals, they arrived and they were all different. They weren’t a certain type, but every one of them was a good one. Statistically, for him to be able to do that and continue on with the success he had through the show world was miraculous. And that’s why he got the awards he did and he deserved them. He never said anything about them. If you asked him, he would tell you, but it never was mentioned. That’s just the sort of man he was.
“He was a countryman, he knew his animals. Determined, loyal, forthright, definitely. And he was honest in his opinion - if he thought it, he said it. Dessie was highly knowledgeable and he was able to bring plenty to the game. With all his years of experience and knowledge, he never ever questioned it or second guessed me [as a vet].”
Ringside Shopping: Dessie Gibson on the lookout at Clarecastle Show \ Susan Finnerty
Accolades and awards
“He lived for the thrill of the chase, the sound of the horn, the camaraderie of the hunt,” said Declan.
“Dessie established a formidable reputation across Ireland and Britain as a breeder, rearer and dealer of Irish Sport Horses. He had, as Ian said, an almost uncanny, mystical eye for livestock and especially for foals. Every autumn, he would travel all over Ireland to find foals. I’m told he would always look at the foal themselves, not his pedigree or its parents. He’d relish seeing the finished product three years down the line.
“For Dessie, his Olympics every year was the Dublin Horse Show. It was his goal and his absolute highlight. He never quite broke his father Hugh’s legendary record of winning five years in succession, but between them, the Gibson family won that prestigious show 10 times. I know the family are all incredibly proud of that legacy, and it continues to this day.”
Just some of his Dublin champions included Coalminer (Euphemism), Greenhall Treasure Island (Island Commander) and Mystery Man (Colourfield), horses that went on to owners such as Jill Day and Moggy Hennessy.
He won the Breeders’ Championship with Hillsides Amazing Grace (Big Sink Hope) and her Top of the World foal Spin Doctor, while Pink Flamingo (Silvano) was his most recent Coote Cup (broodmare) champion four years ago, adding to a long list started by Meta II.
Balmoral was his annual testing-the-waters outing at both its original and present-day locations. Dessie was a valued member of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society and, in December 2023, he received a Gold Society Award from the RUAS for his 50-plus years as an exhibitor.
In 2025, he was presented with a similar award by the RDS for his ongoing Horse Show success and also won another leading exhibitor award that same week.
Stocking up
Numerous All-Ireland crowns were also won by his immaculately-produced team. “He was the Christy Ring amongst exhibitors,” Clarecastle Show chairman Michael Slattery said in admiration of Gibson’s ringcraft. In latter years, Dessie increasingly handed over the reins to his team of David Alcorn and Shirley Hurst, after some health setbacks. Typically determined, he taught himself to plait again, following one stroke, by tying three pieces of string to a chair and practising.
Started as a cross-border iniative, the All-Ireland three-year-old final at Bannow and Rathangan Show was another target and perhaps there is no greater measure of its objective than the annual pre-show gathering in Kilmore by northern finalists and often a day’s ‘shopping’ done by the eagle-eyed Dromara man at the foal classes.
Aside from the showring, Dessie’s annual holiday was his autumn trip to Goresbridge Horse Sales to stock up on next year’s champion contenders. There was more time in the off-season for reading equestrian magazines or watching Judge Judy on TV.
“It might seem an unusual choice, but when you think about it, it was a show about someone who was dedicated, blunt, sharp and had a no-nonsense attitude.” Just like a certain fan tuning in from Northern Ireland.
“For the last three years, Dessie’s great-nephew Bradley lived with him, becoming his right-hand man. During the long days of Covid, when Bradley was off school, Dessie taught him everything he knew about livestock and raising horses. You even got him to eat pizza and Caesar salad!
“He was a plain-speaking, meticulous and fiercely-independent son of County Down, who didn’t like a fuss and certainly didn’t look for the applause of the crowd,” added Declan, summing up Dessie Gibson at the end of the service before huntsman Ryan Carvill blew ‘Gone Away’.
Our sincere condolences to Dessie’s family, his sisters Ivy and Lily, brother-in-laws Edward and Edmund; he was a much-loved uncle of Mark, Simon (Eloise) and Colin (Sonya) and great uncle of Bradley, Scott, Bethany, Reuben and Olivia, plus his numerous friends around this island.
- S.F
Cushinstown Special, another of Dessie Gibson’s Balmoral champions, show by Shirley Hurst \ Susan Finnerty
Tributes for Dessie
Everybody here in Goresbridge was very saddened over the last couple of weeks with the passing of Dessie Gibson.
Dessie was a longstanding customer of foals here and one of our leading buyers for many years. Anytime you saw Dessie appearing ringside, you knew there was a nice foal coming in and, when he decided to bid for one, he rarely went home without it.
He was a shrewd judge of a foal and was a proper gentleman, who will be missed in Goresbridge by many.
Donohoe family, Goresbridge Horse Sales.
It was with great sadness that all of us at Bannow and Rathangan Show learned of the passing of our great friend and long-time supporter, Desmond (Dessie) Gibson. He was a true gentleman, loyal supporter and legendary figure in the Irish showing world.
Travelling each summer from Dromara, Co Down, Dessie became an integral part of the All-Ireland Final at our show, leaving an extraordinary legacy, highlighted by winning the prestigious All-Ireland three-year-old championship an incredible five times.
His eye for a horse and dedication to the sport were unmatched, as beautifully demonstrated by his popular 2023 victory with Sort Code, shown by his right-hand man, David Alcorn.
Dessie, alongside fellow winning owners, was honoured at the championship’s 25th anniversary. He will be remembered too, far beyond his trophies and rosettes.
His many friends from Northern Ireland will fondly recall the warm camaraderie and legendary banter shared on the eve of the show in Kehoe’s pub in Kilmore.
He will also be fondly remembered by the Stafford family, where he stayed for B&B and stabled his horses over the years.
Dessie will be dearly missed for his ringside presence, his passion for keeping showing traditions alive and the enduring friendship and loyalty to our show over many years.
Liz Freeman, Bannow and Rathangan Show secretary.
The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society was deeply saddened by the passing of Desmond Gibson and we extend our heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.
Dessie was much more than a highly-successful horse exhibitor. He was a great character, knowledgeable horseman and, for more than two decades, a valued member of the Society’s Horse Committee and Council.
His connection with Balmoral Show stretched back to his childhood - first exhibiting at just 12 years of age. His show ring successes were legendary, perhaps epitomised by winning the ‘Magnificent Seven’ in 2017, when he lifted five in-hand titles along with mare and foal wins!
But for those of us who knew him, it was his deep knowledge, eye for a horse and willingness to share that knowledge, which made Dessie so special.
He was never afraid to offer an opinion - an opinion which always carried weight in Committee meetings.
He was generous with his time and advice, and many exhibitors benefited from his encouragement and guidance over the years.
Dessie had a great affinity with Balmoral and understood what the Show meant to so many exhibitors and families, because he had lived that experience himself over the years.
We will miss his presence, his knowledge, his forthright views and, above all, his friendship. Dessie was part of the fabric of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society for many years and his passing leaves a real void.
He is remembered with enormous respect and great affection.
John Henning, Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS).
Dessie’s Coote Cup champion Pink Flamingo, led by David Alcorn, takes her place in the Sunday parade of champions at Dublin \Susan Finnerty
One Balmoral Show, as we were getting ready to compete, Dessie noticed a bit of the hem down in his trousers. Quick as a flash, he opened the famous black box to get a needle and thread, and problem solved, that’s what a perfectionist he was!
Many a time in recent years when I was producing his horses, Dessie would be waiting at Balmoral arrivals and the unspoken inspection would begin. Not once did he complain, but at the same time he wasn’t good at giving praise! But he showed his gratitude by coming back to me year after year.
We both understood each other without words being spoken, he will be sorely missed.”
Shirley Hurst.
Dessie was a friend in Greenhall for four generations.
Spoiled in the old days by Granny Maria when he came to stay for Tinahely Show. After supper, the farm walk. Then up to the show field for a quick look at tomorrow’s All-Ireland ring. Later, rapturous laughter poured from the sitting room with Grandad Derek and friends. Dessie’s mighty laugh. His company a tonic.
Many a “yard dispute” here has been settled by “Ring Dessie, see what he thinks”.
Mary and I watched intently over the years, his show ring masterclasses, especially with a seasoned broodmare. “Do your work at home,” he would say.
If you got a rosette ahead of him, you could be certain it was only on loan!
If you needed to know the leading exhibitor on points or a horse’s name from the past, it was only a second away.
“Greenhall All Business” - we named that one after the man himself.
His mind seemed to work as fast as his feet; sharp as his trusty thinning scissors. The evening before the Tinahely show, after he had his pre-RDS annual tail trimming service done for our horses (and he had argued to shorten their tails more!), off we went on the foal walk. The wettest of evenings, an August thundery downpour and he took off down the field at a rate of knots, all business. Just one trot past of the foals and he was sold.
The same of [Greenhall] Treasure Island as a foal. Just one lap of the ring at Bannow. He bought him on the second circuit. “I’ll have him”.
Dad often said he would buy anything from Dessie, except his car. She ripped through the countryside to studs and shows, first in the show field and first to leave.
Dessie was kind, with time and advice. Plenty discussed in our truck with a cup of black tea. His midwinter calls were how stock had progressed. Spring would be, “What stallions are new?” The summer evening updates of “Your horse won today in the UK”.
Sharon Rothwell.
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dessie Gibson.
Dessie was simply an outstanding horseman, who set the standard. Referred to recently as ‘the greatest showman’, it was a fitting accolade, such was his extraordinary ability to select, prepare and turn out winning horses time and again, and for his exceptional ringcraft.
Dessie made an enormous contribution to the Irish sport horse industry and to the showing community in particular.
Ring 1 at the Dublin Horse Show was so important to him, as he was to it. Little did we know how timely the RDS Show Award presented to him at the 2025 Show would be. We are so very glad that opportunity was taken to recognise and mark his outstanding achievements in the industry and at the Show. It was most richly deserved.
He will be greatly missed by his many friends in the horse world. Ring 1 each August will never quite be the same again.
Fiona Sheridan, Royal Dublin Society (RDS).