Exhibition on the 90 years of the Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show 1926-1939

At this year’s Dublin Horse Show, the RDS Library exhibition: Aga Khan, 90 years of the Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show takes an in-depth look at the history of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at Dublin. It examines the competition from its earliest beginnings in the turbulent years of the 1920s, through the 1930s and ‘40s when Ireland established itself a major show jumping nation, up to the ‘70s and ‘80s when Ireland dominated, until the present day. This exhibition looks back on the nine decades of rich sporting pedigree that the Aga Khan Nations Cup has given Dublin each summer, with many people’s favourite sporting moments sure to be included.

 

Come and find out about how the Nations Cup first began over tea between an RDS Member and some Swiss Army officers back in the mid 1920s. How under a Russian equestrian expert the Irish team quickly became a force to be reckoned with, and how this helped put the new Irish State on the international map.

 

See photos from the first Irish ‘dream team’ of the 1930s, when Ged O’ Dwyer, Fred Aherne, Dan Corry, Jack Lewis and Dan Leonard won five Nations Cups between 1932-1938 and secured an outright win of the Aga Khan Trophy in 1937.

 

Revisit memories of the 1963 winning team, which was the first to include civilian riders as well as military personnel, when Capt. William Ringrose on Loch an Easpaig, Seamus Hayes on Goodbye, Diana Connolly Carew on Barrymore and Tommy Wade on Dundrum secured the Aga Khan trophy for that year.

 

Whether at the Show or not, we all know of the late 1970s when, with three successive victories, the Aga Khan trophy was won outright for Ireland for the first time in 42 years. The ‘dream team’ of 1977-1979, comprised of Paul Darragh on Heather Honey, James Kernan on Condy, Eddie Macken on Boomerang and Capt. Con Power on Coolronan, Castle Park and Rockbarton. And there have been plenty of Fridays at the Show since then to cause Irish celebrations.

 

Aga Khan Friday remains the most popular day of the Dublin Horse Show and the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup continues to enthral and excite spectators of all ages.

 

Aga Khan, 90 years of the Dublin Horse Show runs 15 July- 2 September 2016. Admission is free and open to the public. Please note a an entry charge applies to non-RDS Members during the Dublin Horse Show (July 20-24, 2016)