European pony event a €7m local boost

It is unlikely Dermot Mór MacCarthy could have envisaged that, 600 years after he built Drishane Castle in Cork, its rolling grounds would reverberate to the sound of horses and riders jockeying to be champions of Europe.

Worth almost €7m to the hinterland, the European Pony Championships begin in earnest at Millstreet on Wednesday.

As the European Juggling Convention wound down on Saturday, organisers were gearing up for the hundreds of ponies and riders, their families, grooms and coaches from 17 countries across Europe.