An Irish Steeplechase
01 May 2012
We spent Sunday afternoon at the local Steeplechase
a horse race dripping in history
which is run from one point
to another point
over fences and hills
in the raw Irish countryside…
We were in awe of the young, powerful thoroughbreds
crashing over fences woven with willow branches
…leaving dust in their wake,
and struck by such stunning beauty in the strength and condition of maiden horses
As for the spectators,
there were some very serious betters
with some serious bookmakers at their disposal…
Onlookers of the canine variety were welcomed as well.
We admired colourful jockeys
gathered together before each race,
and spotted the lone female rider
all dressed in white.
Cups of hot whiskey
with lemon, sugar and cloves
were sipped by many
for warming protection
from the brisk, stirring wind
that accompanied the afternoon sun.
Unforgettable.
Slan Abhaile,
Imen
Photos by Imen McDonnell 2012.
Tags: country life, farm, farmer, Farming, food, foodie, foodies, Horse, hot whiskey, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish, Irish country living, irish farmer, Irish food photography, married an irishman, Point to Point, Racing, steeplechase
What a marvelously fun day!!! 🙂 I love this recipe so much and can’t wait for winter to arrive in June so I can make it. 🙂
Imen, first off I’m am jealous of your writing style, the steeplechase would be a great days adventure as most races back in the states are on a track. How often are they held? I bet you have a different perspective being close to the race as opposed to being in the stands, thanks again, its a raw rainy day here in the Northeast U.S. time to use your recipe and have a hot whiskey, for warming purposes only,
Cheers.
Thanks for the post.
Lovely post. Sounds like such a fun day, and a hot toddy to boot!
I love this! Reminds me of my eventing days, where my horse and I would compete in the cross country trials, jumping ditches and logs. Great photos 🙂
What fun! I love the hot whiskey in the plastic glass… amongst the daisies! Thanks for your great blog – I’m so glad I have you visit my inbox on a regular basis 🙂
Cath
I love erading your website – I’m Irish but living in America. I love reading your blog and looking at the evocative photos – it makes me feel less homesick!
I LOVE this post, Imen. Thank you.
I somehow happened across your site today and I am so glad I did! I’m a midwestern American girl myself, funnily enough, and I have this dream of meeting an Irish boy and moving to the Irish countryside. Preferably there would be some farming involved. I’m so happy to see these things can happen 😉
You’re such a talented writing and I look forward to reading more of your posts! I’m actually going to be studying abroad in Limerick this upcoming fall for school and I can’t wait to witness these kinds of things during my stay.
Gorgeous! My older sister used to jump steeplechase when I was a kid, I was her horse slave (braiding, brushing, fetching) and an avid rider too. The point to point, the getting there, the watching the beauty as the animals strive for the jump…oh, I love it all. I rode in Paris for several years, trying to get my French certification…going to catch up on it again now that we’re moving to horse country Normandy 🙂 Thanks for sharing the Irish side! xoxo L
I love horse racing and your blog depicts the very essence of why I love it so much. The thrill and excitement of the racing, admiring the beautiful horses and relaxing with family and friends. Fantastic photographs!
Beautiful Photos Love
Great photos. Brings back great memories of packing station wagon with kids, picnic baskets and rugs and heading out to Castletown Geoghegan for the Westmeath Hunt point to point.
Imen – I love your photos of the races. The hot whiskey amongst the daisies is perfect. I miss Irish horse races, but luckily I live in Kentucky now, the center of horse of racing in America. It’s Derby week right now, so Louisville is full of excitement and anticipation. I hope some year to don a hat and join the fans on race day. Maybe next year!
My Irish Grandfather loved going to the steeplechase – I have great memories of going with him when we visited Ireland during the summers. Great pics!
Lovely photos. Looks like a wonderful experience, and what beautiful animals!