IRELAND was a very different place in 1925 when William (Billy) Gleeson was born near the sporting village of Hospital on the Limerick/Tipperary border. At an early age, he was unofficially adopted by his uncles who farmed near Knockarron just over the Tipperary border.

This was to be the foundation of an extraordinary career associated with the world of horses, hunting and National Hunt racing. While his adoptive uncles only had farm horses at Ballyloobey, their farm was in an area where the horse was king. The Scarteen hounds were kennelled just down the road and almost everyone in the area was involved.

From an early age, young Willie was much sought after as a jockey in the very competitive world of pony racing, then referred to as “flappin”. His talent for dealing with difficult horses soon became evident. It was the start of a long and successful life where the horses came second only to family.

In due course he married locally, Helen Bourke of Lackelly, whose father was one of the founding officers of the Irish army. Four children were to follow, John, Liam, Mary and Matthew, all of whom inherited their father’s affinity with horses. John, who holds a trainer’s licence also works at Ballysheehan Stud, where he has trained some useful horses including Black Scorpion.

Liam, an architect, is a keen hunting man and Mary in her early days was a keen and talented rider. Meanwhile, Matthew is one of the head lads in the all conquering Ballydoyle.

Lord Oaksey in his autobiography Mince Pie For Starters speaks fondly of Willie and his hirelings, particularly the sure-footed Tango who carried him across the monumental Scarteen doubles.

What the noble lord didn’t refer to was that he was so dirty after a fall in the “factory” ditch that when it came to returning to the box (and the pub), he had to be loaded in the boot of someone’s new Mercedes driven by Willie.

He wasn’t alone in this unconventional conveyance as he had to share the boot with John Magnier who had suffered a similar fate.

Willie held a trainer’s licence and would usually have had a runner in the Punchestown bank races, later with either John or Liam as jockey. He set up his farm as an equestrian holiday centre for many years with great success where continental and American tourists came to enjoy the Irish countryside from the back of a horse.

He continued riding long after he gave up hunting right into his 80s and on one particular day, as he was exercising his granddaughter’s pony, joined in as hounds passed, jumping everything that came his way until hounds went home.

He judged all over Ireland and regularly judged the Irish Draught classes at the RDS. As recently as last August, he judged at Bansha show where he had been a fixture in the catalogue since the foundation of the show.

To his wife Helen and his four children, his brother Michael, many grandchildren and exended relatives, we offer our sympathy.

In his 92 years, Willie made many friends and no enemies.

He will be missed.

DP