Shane Sweetnam from Castlemagner will represent Ireland in the Longines FEI Aga Khan Nations Cup at Dublin Horse Show next Friday, 19th August, and there will be huge local support for the event which will be broadcast live on RTÉ Television. Shane has had a very successful career in showjumping, competing in his first Grand Prix at the age of 16. He was eighth individual showjumper and helped Ireland to team gold at the 2017 Europeans, and competed in the 2018 World Equestrian Games where Ireland finished seventh. In 2020 he was on the Irish team at the Tokyo Olympics, and last year he won the first five-star Grand Prix of the year at America’s prestigious Wellington Equestrian Festival. The community of Castlemagner, and equestrian fans all over North Cork and further afield will be cheering Shane on when he takes on the fences at the prestigious Aga Khan competition at the RDS. Here’s hoping for lots of clear rounds for the Irish team!
Another Castlemagner native competing at the highest level is Katie O’Keeffe who is making her debut in the second U18 National Championship of 2022 in Dublin. Katie is a three times European medallist.
And congratulations to Alanah Gould from Castlemagner who last week won an All Ireland medal with Cork minor ladies’ footballers when they defeated Galway.