DESPITE it being a year like no other, the town of Clifden, the capital of Connemara, is buzzing on Monday. As I make my way to the Station House Hotel, I pass the desolate Clifden Showgrounds, which would normally be a hub of activity the week before the annual Connemara Pony Show.

However, the year is not lost and it is all go at the Connemara Pony Sales as they prepare to celebrate 30 years of selling at the Clifden Mart next week. On the third Thursday of August, after the 1990 Clifden Show, the first Connemara Pony Sale was held.