Planned motorway will ‘destroy us’, says stud farm owner who sells racehorses to royals
:: Owners of Clonshire Stud one of 180 set to be affected
A CO LIMERICK stud farm owner who supplies young national hunt racehorses to members of the British royal family says his business faces total destruction from a planned motorway.
A proposed west Limerick €450m road will carve through the 90-acre Clonshire Stud that Bryan Murphy and his wife Iseult have developed into one of Europe’s leading national hunt race horse nurseries over the past 25 years.
They are among 180 land and home owners affected by the project.
The Murphys buy and breed foals, which are taught to race and jump fences before being sold to top national hunt trainers in Ireland, the UK and France.
Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Philips are among Mr Murphy’s clients and the royals have visited Clonshire Stud on purchasing missions.
An Bord Pleanála held oral hearings into the proposed road project in February at which Mr Murphy was among the affected landowners who gave evidence. A decision from the board is expected this summer on whether the road plan can proceed or not.
Mr Murphy (66), a native of Athenry, Co Galway, took over the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare with his brother Louis before he embarked on horse breeding.
In his younger days he was a top amateur jockey with more than 125 winners to his credit.
Talking of the stress he and his family are under, he said: “I was badly injured in a fall at Listowel Races in 1983 in which I broke my back and crushed my rib cage. It was thought I would end up paralysed. It was a very difficult time. But it was nothing compared to what we are going through right now as the entire future of our family, our home and our business, hangs on a decision by An Bord Pleanála.
“My wife and I have given our lives to developing Clonshire Stud. When we bought the first 30 acres in 1995 it was in a very neglected state and an awful lot of hard work went into developing what we have today.”
The facilities include grass and all-weather gallops where potential owners can see young horses run at speed over short distances.
Trainers who have purchased young national hunt horses there include Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Jessica Harringon, Joseph O’Brien, Nicky Henderson, Jonjo O’Neill, Phiip Hobbs, Harry Fry and Anthony Honeyball.
Some of the Clonshire Stud horses have won some of the top chases in England, and some recent ‘graduates’ include top bumper horses AC Milan and Thymehill and many others who run in the colours of JP McManus
“Owners and trainers love to come and enjoy the whole experience of viewing horses at Clonshire Stud and view the massive facilities we have developed where high-quality foals get the best start and education to bring them on to developing into top class national hunt horses.
“To look and see what we have brought to fruition. And now to think it could face ruin if this road goes ahead through the property,” he said.
Mr Murphy said it was always their intention that their daughter Slaney would take over the stud at some stage. “But all our plans are now on hold. The construction of a massive roadway would force us to move out all our young horses as they could not cope with the noise and then with the loss of our land to the road, it would destroy us.”