BILLED as the ‘show within a show’, the presentation of the Clarecastle medals during the show’s official opening is an event in itself. Yet another brainchild of its show chairman Michael Slattery, the medals are intended to acknowledge individuals who have contributed to the Irish horse and show worlds.

Former Irish Shows’ Association presidents David Sheehan (2018) and Michael Hughes (2019) were the first two recipients; another ex-ISA president Paddy Joe Foy was amongst the 2022 winners, when the show resumed post-Covid, alongside Valerie Thorington and the ‘voice and pen’ of Irish equestrianism, Michael Slavin.