New book takes the reins on Irish stud industry

IRISH Examiner journalist and Shannon native Conor Ryan has just released his first book, Stallions and Power, which examines the passion, intrigue and money at the Irish National Stud.
The 30-year-old attended St Senan’s and St Patrick’s Comprehensive in Shannon before going on to study politics at the University of Limerick. He then entered journalism working for Clare FM in 2001 and then freelanced in Clare and Limerick, writing for The Clare Champion and The Evening Echo in Limerick for a period before joining The Echo newspaper in Tallaght, Dublin and later the Irish Examiner newspaper in 2006. He covered the 2008 presidential election in America for six months and returned to the Irish Examiner to join the Dáil team as political correspondent in late 2008. In March, he relocated to Crosshaven in Cork and he currently is the investigative correspondent with the Examiner.
His parents, Bernard and Geraldine, both live in Shannon. In Stallions and Power, Conor reveals the passion, intrigue and power behind Ireland’s National Stud since it was first started around 1900.
The book was launched last week in Buswell’s Hotel Dublin by Alan Dukes, who said that in breeding and racing, stallions and power are closely associated. “They make a heady mixture and it is to be found on every page of this book. Punters will see the roots of their own experiences here. The long slogs without remarkable success or failure, the periods of absolute elation and the bitter losses. Breeding is where it all begins and the Irish National Stud has been a major player in the success of the Irish thoroughbred sector since its formation in 1946. For all that, it is a strange animal. It is a state-owned enterprise with often arbitrary limits on its funding capacity, operating in competition with highly-efficient and often highly-geared private interests,” he said.
The book reveals the personalities behind the power, from its founder, Colonel William Hall-Walker, who trained horses according to his astrological theories, to Lady Chryss O’Reilly, who has been in the chair during recent turbulent times.
It charts the sensational controversies the company has become embroiled in.  These include the battles of the boardroom, high-profile court cases, a destructive extra marital affair, clashes with industry heavy weights and a history where it frequently struggled to stay afloat. 
In addition, the book also documents how the prospect of the multi-million euro wonder horse, Sea the Stars, standing in its stables slipped from its grasp.
Stallions and Power also looks at how the stud found the money to survive. It won support from controversial politicians, was at the centre of enormous money-spinning deals, benefited from lucrative land sales and looked to taxpayers for millions in additional support.
Conor details the super-rich clients and the behind-the-scenes struggles, which characterised the country’s most speculative national asset.
The book tells the story of a remarkable business that includes a farm, the Japanese Gardens tourist attraction and a stud which in the 1980s was home to five of the top 10 stallions in Europe. Its residents over the years have included equine superstars like Royal Charger, Tulyar, Invincible Spirit, Ahonoora and Urban Sea.
As a breeding operation, the stud nurtured the great Sea the Stars, it also provided a retirement home for Danoli, the people’s champion and the legendary Vintage Crop. Attracting such high-calibre animals and managing a multi-million euro breeding business has seen the National Stud enjoy heady success and endure dark days.
More recently, it was blown apart by the meltdown of Western economies and its own reliance on bank-backed developers for business.
Conor meticulously recounts the most controversial business dealings of the Irish National Stud including its failure to bring home Sea the Stars to stand at Tully following his incredible racing career. This was mixed up in the legacy of a series of high-profile claims taken by members of its staff.
Author Conor Ryan is one of Ireland’s most distinguished investigative journalists who has unearthed corruption and collusion in the worlds of finance, racing and politics.