THE Dowley family of Ivan, Lorna and daughters Rachel and Sarah live outside Carrick-on-Suir, in the townland of Graigue where Ivan’s late father Edric established a dairy herd in the 1940s.

“That whole side of the family is genuinely fascinating,” commented professional dressage rider Rachel. “Edric’s wife Milada, my granny, is the daughter of Charles Bacik, one of the founders of Waterford Crystal. They moved to Ireland to escape communism after World War II and there are great stories of them being smuggled out of Czechoslovakia by a Christie’s auctioneer.