Katie Taylor had her Bray bash, John Joe Nevin was feted in Mullingar, while Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan got the red carpet treatment in Belfast.

The weather wasn’t quite stable but it took more than the threat of biblical-style floods to deter Ireland’s equestrian community who braved tumultuous downpours to attend the opening day of the 139th Dublin Horse Show at the RDS in Ballsbridge.

TWENTY years after first competing at Dublin Horse Show, Shane Sweetnam is close to living his dream by lining out on the Irish team to contest tomorrow’s Nations Cup contest.

SHOW jumper Dermott Lennon yesterday demonstrated in style that he and Hallmark Elite were suffering no ill-effects from their travails at last week’s Hickstead.

IRELAND’S show jumpers were in the frame yesterday on the opening day of the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show and, while victory eluded them, it provided optimism ahead of tomorrow’s Samsung Super League nations cup.