I enjoy doing it as a hobby, but it is run on a commercial basis,” a very modest Dr Noel Cawley tells me as we walk through a field of mares with some of the best pedigrees in the country.

I first met Dr Cawley during my final year in university. When I asked him if I could come visit his Newpark Lodge Stud in Eadestown, Co Kildare as part of my final year project, he very generously welcomed me and his input into my project on the breeding of Irish Sport Horses was invaluable.