Ace jockey Cathy Gannon has advice for aspiring jockeys from Limerick

“Work hard” if you want to make your dreams come true of working in the equestrian industry. This is the message to youngsters from former champion jockey Cathy Gannon who gave her time on Tuesday to travel down from Dublin to meet 30 aspiring young jockeys in Limerick.

This is National Volunteering Week and she was joined by other volunteers on the day – Michael O’Kelly, a founding member of the Limerick Equine Education and Therapeutic Programme (LEETP) and photographer Tony Grehan.

Cathy had 450 wins in a remarkable career spanning 4,500 races.

“That’s ten percent,” she said proudly as youngsters looked at her agog. “I had a good time of it. I worked hard, it needs a good work ethic,” she said.

She was well placed to empathise with the teenagers who gathered in Clonshire Equestrian Centre outside Adare, Co. Limerick.

“I used to love horses and wasn’t very good at school. I used to ride the pony down to school and tie it up outside,” she recalled.

“We just wish we had a place somewhere like this in Dublin when we were starting, you know. This is great, great facilities, great for the kids,” she said.

“It’s not all about being a jockey, you could be a stable hand, or a rider, a farrier, a vet, a physio, or a dentist – there’s lots of work in horses,” added Cathy.

Of course, the youngsters almost all want to be jockeys. One of MYA’s graduates Terry Casey recorded his first win as a jockey at Roscommon on May 12 and, among others, he made sure to thank Moyross jockey Wesley Joyce, also a graduate of MYA, for his support as his career takes off.

In Clonshire, the aspiring youngsters – male and female – got a real feel for what it’s like to be a thoroughbred racehorse jockey because Niall Byrnes from the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) brought a simulator to Limerick for the occasion.

Tommy O’Donnell from Ballinacurra Weston and Crescent College Comprehensive was reluctant to mount the machine: “It’s a horse with no legs,” he said. Afterwards, he said he would like to go again and he hopes to follow others on training visits to Kildare.

• Participants in the Limerick Equine Education and Therapeutic Programme pictured on horseback at Clonshire Equestrian Centre, on May 20, 2025. Photo by Tony Grehan.

Nathan Devereux, who joined Moyross Youth Academy’s programme when he was in fourth class in Corpus Christi Primary School, and is now a student in Thomond Community College, has been up to Kildare where RACE is based.

“You experience the speed on a racetrack and what it’s like to be around thoroughbreds and how to tack them up and what to do with thoroughbreds. It’s a good experience up there,” he said.

• Participants in the Limerick Equine Education and Therapeutic Programme pictured in Clonshire Equestrian Centre, on May 20, 2025. Photo by Tony Grehan. See all Tony’s photos from the day at this link.

Moyross Youth Academy (MYA) oversees a project it calls the Limerick Equine, Education and Therapeutic Programme (LEETP) which connects with and educates children from five secondary and seven primary schools in Limerick city. The plan is to bring the youngsters together again over the summer.

Andrew O’Byrne, MYA’s development manager, said, “We’re grateful to Cathy Gannon and all volunteers and staff and to Clonshire Equestrian Centre for their support on the day.”

MYA staff present in Clonshire included Damien Gavin, Tony Carey, John Quinlivan, Catherine Normoyle, and chef Eoin Ruane who works in MYA as a tutor and who provided a barbeque.

The horse industry and local government were represented by Stephanie Scully, education officer with Horseracing Ireland, and Tommy Barrett from the regeneration office of Limerick City and County Council.

Also present were teaching staff from the five secondary schools involved, namely Crescent College Comprehensive, St. Clement’s College, St. Munchin’s College, Thomond Community College, and CBS Sexton Street.

Moyross Youth Academy is funded by the Department of Justice and the LEETP project is funded through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in conjunction with Limerick City and County Council’s Economic and Social Intervention Fund (ESIF), with support from Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB).

MYA also delivers a programme at primary school level and one of the schools was represented by Liam Kelly from Corpus Christi Primary School as part of the therapeutic element of the programme. As part of the primary schools element, MYA has five ponies based with John and Marie Burke of Clare Equestrian Centre in Doora, Barefield, Co. Clare. They have been a strong supporter of the project and its development since 2007.

Long-terms plans include setting up an employment programme for young people from Limerick interested in finding work in the horse industry – which is why Horse Racing Ireland and the LCETB are involved.