Latest news with #CianO'Connor
RTÉ News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'We let our nation down' - Paris pain fuelling Irish equestrian Olympic ambitions
Barely a day goes by without Michael Blake casting his mind back to the Olympic Games in Paris and what might have been. Horse Sport Ireland's high performance show jumping director led a fancied Irish team to the French capital – or to the resplendent Chateau de Versailles to be more precise – with serious ambitions of a podium place. "We were talked up a lot more than we talked ourselves up. We knew we were there or thereabouts," he tells RTÉ Sport. Results all season backed up such talk. An unprecedented season of success produced 11 Nations Cup podium results, including a couple of five-star triumphs in Florida and Aachen. Shane Sweetnam, Daniel Coyle and Cian O'Connor comfortably qualified for the final, a testing 1.65m course over 525m, with expectation surpassing hope in landing a historic first team show jumping medal. Despite a second stunning clear round by Coyle and his 14-year-old mare Legacy, Ireland finished seventh after a tally of 14 penalties. Nearly a year on, Blake is still processing the result. "We knew things that needed to go our way," he says. "They did right until the last horse was going in. We were in line for silver medal, which was going to be fantastic. And it just didn't go our way. "We're bitterly disappointed that we let our nation down. There was great expectation and we had great expectations. If you look at the countries that won the medals, they hadn't had any luck look before or since." "We wanted to do our best and we've bounced back before. We've bounced back now." Blake's confidence stems from victory in two Nations Cups in two different continents within five days, along with a five-star cup in Abu Dhabi Earlier this month Ireland emerged as winners of the five-star Nations Cup of France in La Baule, just the third time an Irish team has succeeded in the prestigious event. Blake mixed youth and experience - Bertram Allen, Seamus Hughes Kennedy, Tom Wachman and Cian O'Connor – a policy that he has implemented since assuming his role in 2012. "If you look at all the wins, there's no common person on any of the three teams," he says. "I started in 2012 and I looked at our bases and it was like a cone going backwards. "I've created a monster. People say, 'oh well, you didn't win the last Europeans'. But we were second and we were second with kids. I chose not to bring the A team, I suppose, for want of a better word, because I wanted to see what the emerging talent could do. "The big win in La Baule, I had two kids on it with two young horses. It's not winning that makes me most proud." Blake's approach may have caught some by surprise, but the strength-in-depth of the Irish squad is there for all to see. The Clare native says it was about making clear to everyone the long-term vision; only selecting the best riders would not serve the team well down the line. "I inherited the situation where there was a hierarchy. And the first thing to do was to tear it down. There was no resentment from the senior riders but I just saw things differently, that if we didn't keep adding to the talent pool that soon we were going to run out. "And I see other countries have made that mistake, that have stuck with the same gene pool, all the time, and now there are countries like Sweden, Switzerland, are running into difficulty now, and they were powerhouses." "Our senior riders, they mentor the younger riders. And it's great to see because we sit down at the beginning of the year, we try and make a plan for the whole year. "As I tell everybody, you might be a brain surgeon some day, but you have to go to university and go through the steps. That's what I have tried to instil on people, that there is a progression, and that when you miss a step on that ladder, you usually come falling down." It's a welcome headache for Blake to plot out team selections, but Dublin, Aachen, Rome and Barcelona are staging posts to the big prize. Five-star wins in Canada and France have backed up the work behind the scenes, but Los Angeles in three years' time is focusing the mind. "We hadn't won in Spruce Meadows (Canada) for 24 years, we targeted that. Now I need to target the elusive Olympics. I've been lucky enough, we've won the European championships, we've been second in the European championships. "There's only the [Olympic] circles. That's what I'm after."
The Irish Sun
08-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Cian O'Connor channels family legacy for fairytale win at Connacht Men's Stroke Play
ROSCOMMON golfer Cian O'Connor sealed a fairytale win at Galway Golf Club on Saturday afternoon. The golfer held his nerve late on to claim the Connacht Men's Open Stroke Play Championship by a single shot at Galway Golf Club. Advertisement 2 Cian O'Connor claimed the Connacht Men's Open Stroke Play Championship on Saturday Credit: INSTAGRAM @irish_amateur_golf_info 2 Cian O'Connor's golfing roots run deep - his great uncle is the late legend Christy O'Connor Junior The 22-year-old, whose golfing roots run deep at the Salthill course thanks to his family legends Christy O'Connor Snr and Jnr. He fired a stunning final round 65 to finish on -3 - one ahead of Castleknock's David Reddan. Home support roared him over the line, with his dad, sister and grandparents all there to witness his first senior victory. Speaking after the historic win, O'Connor spoke of his emotion and joy at winning such as prestigious competition at the venue. Advertisement read more on golf He stated: 'This is where golf started for my family. It's a special place to win. The University of Memphis student showed his bottle as he carded a gritty bogey at the last after a nervy provisional tee shot He added: 'It wasn't over until the very last group came in. 'I was just relieved to get it done.' Advertisement Most read in Golf 'This is definitely one of my best ever days on a golf course.' Irish golfing royalty runs deep in the O'Connor family. Amanda Balionis accused by Scottie Scheffler of 'trying to get him emotional' during live TV interview Christy O'Connor Senior racked up an incredible 24 professional wins, including two British Masters and multiple Irish championships. The Galway native never won a Major but was a Ryder Cup mainstay across four decades. Advertisement Christy O'Connor Junior made headlines of his own, famously winning four times on the European Tour. But it was that 2-iron at The Belfry in the 1989 Ryder Cup that cemented his legacy. The shot is widely regarded as one of the most iconic shots in Ryder Cup history. He also bagged two Senior British Opens in a glittering career.. Advertisement
Irish Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland's most famous golfing dynasty continues as O'Connor wins Connacht title
Cian O'Connor continued a rich family dynasty as he won the Connacht Men's Open Stroke Play Championship on Saturday. O'Connor, a relative of the great Christy O'Connor Snr and Christy O'Connor Jnr, shot a closing round of 65 to finish on three-under-par, one shot clear of Castleknock's David Reddan. The victory was all the more poignant for Roscommon golfer Cian O'Connor as it arrived at the course where his famous uncles grew up playing the sport. Cian told Golf Ireland: 'It is special. This is where golf started. My family, my great uncle and great great uncle, all played here and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. It's just a good place to win. 'They definitely were big inspirations for me. Growing up and getting into golf and looking up to them and wanting to be like them definitely pushed me on and gave me something to work towards. They're still doing that because I have a long way to go. 'We stayed with my auntie and uncle last night which was handy. I didn't have to drive as far and then my sister was down this morning and my dad came up then and my grandparents as well. 'Big, big crowd for support and I appreciate them.' O'Connor, who has just returned following his junior year at University of Memphis, said: 'This is one of my best days on the golf course.' Knocknacarra man Christy O'Connor Snr (1924-2016) was one of the leading golfers of his generation, winning over 60 professional events and coming close to winning the Open Championship on numerous occasions. The O'Connor golfing heritage continued through Christy O'Connor Jnr (1948-2016), who was the nephew of Christy Snr. O'Connor Jnr had a successful career on the European Tour for many years and is best known for beating Fred Couples at the 1989 Ryder Cup. O'Connor's two-iron into the final hole at the Belfry that skipped to within four feet of the hole is one of the most famous shots in the history of the competition. Now Cian O'Connor looks to have inherited the talents of his famous uncles as he begins to make his own mark on the game.
RTÉ News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ireland complete hat-trick of La Baule Nations Cup wins
For the third time in history, the Irish show jumping team emerged as winners of the five-star Nations Cup of France in La Baule. In a team that included a mixture of youth and experience, they were pushed all the way by Belgium, but it was the Irish who came out on top at the French seaside venue after a flawless display. Ireland arrived in La Baule on the back of a Nations Cup win last weekend in British Columbia and knew they would face an event tougher test in La Baule where a world class field had assembled. Wexford's Bertram Allen got Ireland off to the perfect start when he jumped clear as the first rider to enter the arena with 9-year-old gelding Qonquest De Rigo. Seamus Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky (ISH) were next to go, fresh from an impressive fourth-place finish in the Rolex Grand Prix of Rome a week earlier. They delivered a textbook clear to keep Ireland on a zero score. Tom Wachman with Tabasco De Toxandria Z then picked up 8 faults, but that could be discarded when anchor rider Cian O'Connor jumped clear with the 14-year-old gelding Bentley De Sury. That left Ireland on a zero score at the half-way stage and in a tie for the lead with Belgium. The second round saw Allen again jump clear, while Nicola Philippaerts matched the score for Belgium to keep the two nations out in front. Hughes Kennedy then added another Irish clear, and when 20-year-old Wachman also jumped clear second time out, Ireland were guaranteed to finish on a zero score without the need for Cian O'Connor to jump in the second round. With Peter Devos having one fence down in his second round, Belgium's final rider, Gilles Thomas, had to jump clear to force a jump-off with Ireland. Thomas picked up four faults at the second fence in what was an otherwise perfect round meaning Ireland were clear winners as the only team to finish on a zero score. Belgium finished second on four faults, while Brazil took third place on the podium with 8 faults.
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Easy to lead a horse to water at €1m East Ferry home with floodlit arena
THE sons of a couple who bought a home with the scope to develop an outdoor equestrian arena have been going gangbusters at showjumping ever since: One lives in the US, where he continues to show jump, along with advising clients on the best horses to buy; the second stayed closer to home, in East Ferry, where he remains professionally involved in showjumping and producing horses to compete. Both sons have competed at home and abroad. The sons grew up at Seaview Stables, bought by their parents in the late 1990s, when the property consisted of a cottage on seven acres. 'We bought the cottage and land and some outhouses,' the mother says. 'The plan was to build a sand arena for the boys, so that they would have the facility to ride, to produce ponies, and to compete.' Mane attraction at Seaview Stables The fringe benefit was the view. The land, in Jamesbrook, all but grazes the water near the tranquil, navigable inlet that separates East Ferry from Great Island. To the west is the green canopy of Marlogue Woods, to the south is Cork Harbour. Site almost grazes the harbour 'The view is stunning and it's south-facing across the harbour,' the owner says. Upon acquiring the land, she and her husband drafted in an architect to design a new home. The original cottage remains and is used for storage, but the main house is a contemporary-looking, four-bedroom dormer. Out front, a patio next to the sunroom faces south west. The grounds are expertly landscaped and there's plenty of room to park up. Just west of the house is a paddock, and, beyond it, four stables, and the sand arena, which can be floodlit. The remaining six acres are to the rear of the property, in the form of grazing land for horses or ponies. It's an ideal set-up for a family of horsey types whose children are mad keen to road test their efforts to become the next Cian O'Connor or Bertram Allen or Eddie Macken or any other colossus of Irish international showjumping. The owner says her sons 'did well over the years'. The stables were built for their own use, but, in more recent years, the son who remained in East Ferry has grown his business — training horses for showjumping and sale — and requires more space for his venture. With their sons grown up and pursuing their own interests, the parents have decided to downsize. They hope to stay local, having enjoyed the benefits of this tremendously scenic location, which is known for its picturesque waterside walkways and its suitability for water activities. 'When the winds are too high at beaches like Inch, you'll see the windsurfers around the inlet, because it's more sheltered here,' the owner says. Kayaking is popular locally, too, and there's a marina where SailCork sailing school has its main base. The nearest primary school is in Saleen, less than two miles away, while secondary schools are plentiful in the busy town of Midleton, 10 minutes away by car. Less than a mile down the road is a bird sanctuary. Jointly selling this waterfront property are James Colbert, of Colbert and Co, and Mallow-based auctioneer Liam Mullins. Mr Colbert says it's a 'superb property in an unbelievable location'. 'Where else would you find a property with an outdoor floodlit arena next to the water?,' the agent says, adding that for equestrian enthusiasts 'this property is a rare gem, offering a flood-lit sand arena, purpose-built stables, paddock and a variety of outbuildings that offer both storage and conversion potential'. The agents believe it's an ideal spot for a family with children keen to get in to showjumping or who already have an interest in equestrian sports. If new owners didn't need the entire seven acres, they could always consider the possibility of letting out the land to a farmer for grazing, the agents add. The house itself is generously proportioned and extends to 2,500 sq ft. Accommodation includes two generous large living areas, four bedrooms, and a kitchen/dining room. A sunroom, 'perfect as a dining area or additional sitting area, captures the panoramic views', the agents say. The attic was insulated and floored last year and a new boiler was installed. Mr Colbert says it's a 'must-see' for house hunters seeking a country escape, or a family home with space to grow, or an equestrian haven in one of East Cork's most picturesque settings'. The guide price for Seaview Stables is €1m. VERDICT: Perfect set-up for horsey family keen on showjumping. Waterside setting is a major bonus.
