I’M a native of Cahirciveen, Co Kerry but for the past 50 years I’ve been living in Listowel. I am married to Ann and we have three daughters and six grandchildren. Although I have no family background in racing, I was attracted to the sport as a child.

The pony racing, which took place every September in Cahirciveen, was something that we really looked forward to. One of the highlights of the year when I was growing up, it’s still going strong. I arrived in Listowel in 1976 and ran my own insurance business up until recently when it was acquired by the McCarthy Insurance Group.