It was the end of an era at Louisburgh Show as its chair Tommy Bennett steps down from his role after 12 years at the helm. Bennett was instrumental in the show’s revival in 2006. He was on hand for a presentation made by the western Mayo show to the Irish Shows Association national secretary Michael Hughes.

“I’m getting afraid to go to shows lately!” said Hughes, who retires in November after 40 years’ service to the association.

Louisburgh was where the Minister for Community and Rural Development Michael Ring, T.D had promised 12 months ago to invest funding in agricultural shows.

That aid arrived in the form of an €812,000 package announced last December. Performing the official opening was the ISA western region chairman Paddy Joe Foy, who against a backdrop of falling entries at shows, called for more funding from the Department of Agriculture and the Irish Horse Board “to be injected into breeding ponies and horses. It’s just not economical anymore for breeders.”

Horse Sport Ireland once again provided sponsorship for the feature Irish Draught broodmare and foal championships, in a once-teeming area for Draughts. The first of the HSI championships was won by Hughie and Mary Murphy’s filly foal by DS Ballagh Bouncer out of Barnaview Queen. In reserve was Noel Sheridan’s Cappa Amadeus entry. Murphy’s two-year-old full-sister to his winning foal capped the family’s day by winning the Irish Draught Championship.

All-round result

It was an all-round result for Liam Lynskey in the following HSI Mare Championship. Sean Ruane’s Strictly Come Bouncing won the championship, Lynskey stands both her sire Moylough Bouncer and his stallion son DS Ballagh Bouncer. Completing the Mayo clean sweep was Noel Sheridan with his Castana Mare Bellfield Princess and Pat Murphy’s Puntabegs Lady, by Tors Gentleman Farmer.

The win by the reigning Dublin champion Strictly Come Bouncing was some measure of compensation for her connections as they were thwarted by the RDS new online entries system and so she won’t defend her title next week.

Lynskey’s Derryronane Stud stable jockey won the supreme championship with Anthony Gill’s un-named O.B.O.S Quality full-sister to his young horse champion here last year.

Both the Connemara and pony rings had finished before the main Draught classes got underway with a clash with Ballyconneely affecting numbers. “The quality was really good though, there’s some fantastic ponies around here,” said Audrey Donoghue, who with Sean Dunne, selected Alannah Heanue’s Beechmount Lily, (Dooneen Supermatch), from the junior mare class as their champion. Michael O’Malley’s Banks Timber-sired Cregduff Camilla came home in reserve. Alan Igoe’s Fairy won both championships in the pony ring.