Connemara with it's isolated location has been one of the last outposts for the Gaelic language and today it still happens that ponies are given Gaelic names, more or less impossible to pronounce for foreigners. Sliabh na mBan was born in 1933 and she was one of the Connemara Boy daughters who had their father identified in the stud book. As a to year old she was second at the Carna show and the year after she won the class for young mares. Sliabh na mBan had four daughters. The second oldest, Cornflower of Calla, was exported to the UK after winning the class for two-year-olds at the 1946 Carna show. She was surely a good ambassador for the newly introduced Connemara breed, but she has left no traces as a brood mare. Sliabh na mBan's three other daughters on the other hand have left clear tracks, but let us take them one at a time.
Rusheen's Pride was by Rebel. Three of her daughters left Ireland, Clever Girl for the USA and Rusheen Heaven and Bobby's Pride for Great Britain. Clever Girl has meant a lot in the USA, perhaps mainly through her grandson Aladdin. In 1988 he won the An Tostal trophy for successfully competing stallions. He has also been successful at stud an died recently at the grand old age of 29 years. Rusheen Heaven was one of a few registered daughters to the thoroughbred Little Heaven. Her main contribution to the Grayswood stud was her daughter Grayswood Constellation who was successful under saddle, and whose daughter Grayswood Galaxy twice have qualified to the Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championships at Olympia with a fifth place in 1990 as her best result.
Bobby's Pride's Irish born daughter, Atlantic Pride, came too to Great Britain and became a brood mare at the Washington stud. Her daughter Washington Nato, also known as Rags, became a celebrity, also outside the Connemara circuit, when she was bought by a television show and given away to be ridden by disabled people. Her full sister, Washington Ocean Swell came to Sweden. She might be most known for being the mother of the diploma mare Idholmens Lily and thus the grandmother of the approved stallion Idholmens Matador. Another of Bobby's Pride's daughters, Glenlo Bess went to the USA, Garafin became a successful brood mare, the mother of many Clifden show prize winners, and the last Irish daughter, Rusheen Pride, came like her mother to the Shipton stud. She was however not as successful as her sister Shipton Pride who was the mother of the 1982 foal champion Shipton Proud Duchess and the 1993 most successful competing Connemara, Shipton Proud Countess.
Rusheen's Pride's other daughters stayed in Ireland. Silver Beauty's daughter Slieve Primrose was exported to Denmark, and her daughter, Holens Setra, came to Sweden and was reserve champion at the 1976 breed show. Two of Holens Setra's sons, Wesaborg Sagoprins and Wesaborg Sungay have been good show jumpers. Callowfeenish Pride is in Sweden maybe best known as the mother of the phenomenal show jumper Killyreagh Pride who has gold medals from Swedish and Nordic championships and was the best show jumping Connemara in 1992 and 1993. Callowfeenish Pride's other son was registered as Macduff and showed his class by becoming best registered stallion at Clifden show in 1974 after which he was exported to France. The oldest daughter of Callowfeenish Pride, Poppy of Abbeyleix, was exported to Germany where she became mother to the Petty of Dune who is the mother of several stallions. Another daughter, Martin's Pride is dam to the stallion Granard Storm, but most successful is possibly Wireless Wave. Her daughter Millcrest has given birth to many fine foals in Britain and Callowfeenish Wave on the class at Clifden for four-year-old mares in 1988 before she was sold to France. Wireless Wave is also the dam of the stallion Callowfeenish Mairtin.
Sliabh na mBan's third daughter was Slieve Winter, by Creganna Winter. She is the mother of the stallion Silver Rocket, a gelding and four mares. One of the daughters, Winter Seal was exported to the USA where her descendants are still breeding. Cold Winter has through her daughter Cotterell My Love spread the family to France and Katie travelled via Great Britain all the way to Australia. Her daughters were never used for breeding, but her son Yarraman Park George has both sons and grandsons to carry on the blood.
Sliabh na mBan's fourth and last daughter has also done her part to spread this enormous family over the world. Sliabh na mBan 2nd was by Calla Rebel and she had two registered sons, Caher Cromlech and Calla Boy. She had her first daughter in 1960, Glencastle Fairy. Fairy's daughter Glencastle Lady was exported to Britain where she was a brood mare at some of the most successful studs. Her first foal was named Monkcastle Glen Almond and was exported to the Øxenholm stud. Among her offspring is Øxenholm Adonis, successful in showjumping and dressage, and Angel whose son Poppelly Sundancer have been a good dressage pony.
Sliabh na mBan 2nd's daughter number two was Lambay Smokie, a full sister to Calla Boy, and hardly unknown in Sweden. She was gold awarded at a pony show in 1969 and has continued the family tradition in great style, for upon looking at her descendants it's possible to find most things one could wish for. Here are the diploma mares Wänga Jolly (later also awarded Elite premium and SCS's brood mare award), Wänga Simona, Hagens Katja, Hagens Olly, Hagens Paloma, Hagens Ramona, Hagens Sally, Hagens Ulira and Jolly Corona. On top of this there have been gold awards at shows for Wänga Sinobia, Wänga Scarlet, Hagens Ibiza, Hagens Lamona, Hagens Lance, Hagens Nimona, Hagens Ulster, Jolly Ingo and Liza. The highest scores, 43 points, have been given to Liza when she was the breed show champion in 1998, and Hagens Paloma scored the same at the Hagen show last summer. Other champions have been Wänga Simona at a pony show as early as 1973 and Hagens Lance at the Hagen show in 1988 and the 1990 breed show.
Also performance wise the descendants of Lambay Smokie have done well. Hagens Lance, Hagens Nancy and Blue Hazy have all won at the quality tests. Among the competitive ponies Hagens Hickory and Hagens Ibiza can be mentioned for show jumping and Hagens Max, Hagens Robin, Hagens Lamona and Hagens Quigley for dressage. Hagens Lamona has for many years been among the best Swedish ponies with team gold medals at Swedish and Nordic championships, team silver at European championships and an individual Swedish championship silver. Too many ponies stemming from Lambay Smokie have been competing to be mentioned all. The Lambay Smokie family have also spread further from Sweden. Hagens Funny, Hagens Flisa, Hagens Isadora, Hagens Juli and Wänga Scarlet to Finland where Scarlet's grandson, Marshland Peat Boy was youngstock champion Connemara last summer and is considered a very promising colt. Wänga Sisela was also exported to Finland and her son Aramara Aengus has been approved as a stallion. Another export has gone to Norway in the mare Goodnight, and Hagens Lance was standing at stud for a season in the same country.
Sliabh na mBan 2nd had three more daughters who have influenced the Connemara breed. Callowfeenish Beauty's best-known daughters are Callowfeenish Colleen and Gillian. Callowfeenish Colleen was the dam of the USA-exported stallion Callowfeenish Thunder as well as the 1995 Swedish show jumping champion Tubberkey. Performance genes seems to be running in the blood as the half brother Callowfeenish Buachail has participated successfully in the Irish performance test and he was later Champion Ridden Pony at the Clifden show. Gillian on the other hand is mother to Queen Gillian who has been twice the overall Champion at Clifden show, and who nowadays lives out her days in Great Britain. Another show star is Sliabh na mBan Cailin, a great granddaughter of Sliabh na mBan 2nd through Mountain Silverwing. She was the runner up for the 1992 championship at Clifden. Three years later she won the same title at the English Connemara pony society's breed show and in 1997, at the "Golden Jubilée show", she won the championship.
Story of Sliabh na mBan finally was exported to France where she, together with her daughter Jasmine de Mayo, have given rise to a long line of ponies, most of which carries the suffix de la Scarpe. Before she left Ireland however she gave birth to the mare Miss Charger. She is the dam of the stallion Catamaran, but also April Anita who is in turn the dam of Seafield Silver Rogue. Rogue was a society stallion in Connemara for many years and is now owned by the same stud as Gillian. Seafield Silver Rogue nicely ties the Sliabh na mBan's family together as he goes back to her through both his dam, but also his sire, Silver Rocket
Thanks to Tearna Goldston, Australia who supplied information on Katie's offspring, and Ségolène Groualle for the photo of Galina.
Because of the size of this mare family I needed to put the family chart in a separate document. You will find it here.
© Jenny Hagenblad, 2002