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I can never forget my first day at a Connemara Pony Show, it was in 1947. That was
the year the Connemara Pony Society decided on Clifden as a permanent venue for the
annual show (I haven't missed a year since!).

We always kept a pony or two at home but it was mostly for working on the land and
going to Clifden shopping at weekends with a sidecar (back to back). It was at that show
(1947) that I got the feeling for showing ponies.

My uncle, Martin McDonagh, won the Championship and the Lord Killanan Cup that day
with a young pony called 'White Linnett'. When the class was over I was allowed to
hold her in the field while the older men went for a jar to celebrate.

In 1962, I bought a dun yearling filly at the Clifen Show. Although it wasn't placed in it's
class, I thought it would becomea nice pony which she surely did. She cost me the big
sum of Ł45 and I got 10 shillings luck penny! When I got her registered as a two year
old I called her 'Kingstown', she was out of mare called 'Kingstown Grey' and our
farm is overlooking Kingstown Bay so I thought the name was apppropriate!

In 1966, the late Sean Keane (who was later to become President of the Connemara
Pony Society) persuaded me to show her at the R.D.S. Show which was then held at the
Spring Show. She got second in her class and won the Connemara prize which was
sponsored by the English Connemara Pony Society. That year also, the Galway County
Show was held again for the first time since World War II. 'Kingstown' was Reserve
Champion at taht show. I never thought then that we would still be showing ponies in the
R.D.S., Galway and many other places nearly forty years later!

'Kingstown' bred three registered stallions in her time - 'Island Baron' went to
Germany, 'Clifden Wind' went to Sweden and 'Boden Park Joey' went to France. She
produced a lovely mare - 'Kingsbridge' by 'Bridge Boy' who won the Archbishop's Cup
at Clifden later. She was also sold to a young French breeder but unfortunately she died
shortly after arriving in France.

In the following years I bought and sold numerous ponies, several of which won prizes.
One in particular called 'Belle of the Ball' won the Supreme Championship at Clifden in
1978. I also bought a yearling cold from Sean Dunne in Portarlington for my son Joe Jr.
We called him 'Garryhinch Prince' and he won numerous prizes, in fact he was never
beaten in his class while he was in Ireland. He is now in Scotland and jumping very well
for his owners.

In 1983 I bought what turned out to be probably the best brood mare in the country,
'Silver Fort'. She is the one and only Connemara Pony who was born in the Phoenix
Park. How this came about was when Erskine Childers became President of Ireland he
asked the Department of Local Government for some ponies to be placed in the Park.
The Department approached the Connemara Pony Society and finally bought a number
of brood mares one of whom was carrying a foal. The following Spring 'Silver Fort' was
born in the Phoenix Park. President Childers died suddenly in office and when the next
President took over he was not interested in the ponies so the Department transferred
the lot back to the National Park in Letterfrack.

'Silver Fort' never settled in her new surroundings and was always straying to the top of
the mountains and eventually the carers decided to sell her at the Clifden Fair where I
was lucky enough to buy her, (she is now in her late twenties and is still with us and is
greatly loved by everyone). She won Reserve Champion of the Clifden Show the first
time we showed her. She went on to win the O'Sullivan Memorial Plaque (for best mare
with foal at foot) six times at the Clifden Show. 'Kingstown Silver' (her daughter) has
won at the R.D.S. and Clifden. 'Rocky' who is afull brother of 'Kingstown Silver' won
the Junior and Supreme Championship in 1991 and on that same day 'Kingstown
Joey' won the Champion Foal and is now a registered stallion in California, U.S.A.

'Kingstown Silver' has now taken over from her mother and has produced some lovely
colts and fillies. 'Kingstown Laddie' is a lovely dun stallion and is standing in Illinois,
'Kingstown Chuckie' is standing in Ireland, 'Kingstown Cailin' is now breeding some
promising foals which leaves 'Silver Fort' a great grandmother. 'Kingstown Starlet' a
winner at the R.D.S., Galway County and Clifden, is a magnificent pony by Mary and Pat
Rabbitte's stallion 'Monaghanstown Fionn'.

Malachy and Jane are now running the Kingstown Pony Farm and are doing an excellent
job.

I hope like 'Silver Fort' that I will see my great grandchildren keeping the 'Kingstown'
ponies in the pony news!.