WATCH: Mallets at the ready as Polo thunders back into Cork

Ballindenisk, an August evening. Heat and light no longer words in a physics schoolbook, but manifest in the fine fields sloping down and away from the old Dublin road. Also manifest: Horses in their immediate and physical glory as the ancient sport of polo makes a return to Cork.

There are clubs around the country affiliated to the Federation of Irish Polo Clubs, but it’s a long time since it was played so deep in the south. Its return is relatively low-key: Peter Fell is one of those responsible for the new club, Ballindenisk, and while he was readying the horses for the match, his girlfriend and co-founder Alva Houlihan gave a little background.

“During the winter, I got Peter a couple of polo lessons for his birthday, and he really enjoyed it. We borrowed a couple of ponies from James Kennedy, who’s chair of the Irish Federation of Polo Clubs, and Peter got completely hooked.”