The Scannell family from west Cork finally won a coveted all Ireland title last summer.

For Sean it was an achievement a lifetime in the making explains his son Freddie: “All his life there’s been horses involved. Dad just has a passion for horses, especially Irish Draughts. We got our hands on a very good mare Ruby Steele, by Star Kingdom. Suzanne Finlay in Northern Ireland had her dam Nancy Steele and that Holycross mare won Dublin a few times.

“Ruby Steele is 14 now and the first week in March we’re heading to Cappa Cassanova with her and another mare. We never need to advertise the foals off that mare, they’re always sold. Padraig Bohan bought her Coolcronan Wood filly foal off us and four years later in 2017, that mare Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom won the young mare class in Dublin.”

All Ireland

“Dad was well used to breeding good stuff but when it came to an All Ireland final, he just never got that nice little break.

“He’s been knocking on the door a few times. We were second in Ballinasloe in the All Ireland colt final six years ago with a foal that had similar breeding to Gortfadda Ruby Kingdom. That foal was another we bred by Coolcronan Wood and was out of a Star Kingdom mare, Ballyvourney Kingdom.

“Winning the All Ireland yearling filly final last August in Roscommon was really the highlight of his life breeding horses. The filly that won that day is by Tors Gentleman Farmer and we bought her and her dam Knocknashee Princess, who is by Shenandoah Prince Holly, in Charlestown from the late Michael Morris.

“My father is a man of few words but I knew what it meant to him to finally win that All Ireland. When the final was over, we went into Hannon’s Hotel and he knew 15 different people from 15 different counties in there, all congratulating him. He was just so delighted the whole way home.

Family time

“Traveling around to the shows with dad is good quality time, I love the horses the way he does. We’ve gone to the shows together since I was seven years of age and I remember when I was second with a pony in Kilgarvan.

“I’ve one brother at home, another brother in Chicago and a sister in Tralee so it’s often the two of us heading off to shows. I’m married with two kids, Naomi and Shannon. Susan, my wife, is from Armagh and I met her when she was working down in Clonakilty.

“The girls love helping out with their grandfather and Naomi, who’s nine, will be going to more of the shows this year. Irish dancing is the other big thing in our house but luckily enough, they don’t clash.

Breeding lines

“Dad has a good line of mares, he has seven breeding mares and five youngsters. The filly that won the All Ireland final in Roscommon was sold two months ago to a guy from the Offaly direction, there is trade for the good ones and they are certainly making the money.

“All going well, we’ll have a full sister to that yearling on the ground at the end of March or start of April. We’ve three yearling fillies off Clew Bay Bouncer, Fast Silver and Offaly Clover. The Fast Silver filly is the one we’ll try to qualify for Roscommon this year. Depending on what the mares have this year, then we’ll pick something for the shows.

“Our biggest project is our Cappa Cassanova three-year-old filly off a Castana mare, she was third in the Roscommon final two years ago. We’ll cover her with a thoroughbred because it’s her first foal and hopefully this year we’ll enter her for the young mare class at Dublin.”

“We’ve never had a horse in Dublin. My father is all his life waiting for a big result. His top moment is the All Ireland win and if he could get one more in Dublin, for an All Ireland-Dublin double, that would be the dream to chase.

“My dad has bred two Irish Draught stallions – Crystal Crest, who is in America now, and KEC Millennium Diamond. Crystal Crest is by Coolcronan Wood and off a Mountain View mare Derrynasaggart Queen. That was the prefix Derrynasaggart that we’d used.

“Then Millennium Diamond is by Glidawn Diamond off a Holycross mare we had, named Scannell’s Fancy.

“Now we’ve a two-year-old Irish Draught colt, by Fast Silver and off a Castana dam. He’s another project as hopefully down the line, he’ll make a stallion. The plan is to hold on to him as a stallion as my father is coming up to retirement age and that would keep him busy.

“He’s worked for Grainger Sawmills in Enniskeane for over 40 years, buying timber off farmers and Coillte.

“He’s out and about dealing with farmers every day of the week and he’s looking after the woods as well.

“He’s a genuine Irish Draught man, he’s 100% mad about them. I suppose his generation grew up working with and depending on horses to make a living. They’d take turf out of their bogs with horses, work them in the fields and taking timber from the forest.

“Dad is involved with our local show Ballyvourney-Coolea. He was chair for a good few years and continues to help out with the horse classes.”

Getting money from the Department (of Rural and Community Development) last year has really helped the shows.

“It took a lot of pressure off small shows, plus Horse Sport Ireland gave us funding for a big class,” Says Freddie. “It was a 50/50 broodmare and foal championship, which PJ Lehane won last July and deservedly so. We’d hope to have funding for a 50/50 Irish Draught championship this year.”