When Cannon Ball, a renowned Connemara pony, died in 1924 his corpse was carried into his owner's kitchen on a stable door and he was waked throughout the night. From miles they came to Leam, by Oughterard, to bid farewell to the stallion.
Several years later, his reputation lived on as his son, Rebel, won a medal at the Carna show. That medal is among a fascinating collection of memorabilia, including a saddle worn by Cannon Ball, which is now on display in the State's first museum dedicated to the breed.
Established by the acknowledged author, expert and judge, Ms Pat Lyne, the collection was intended to occupy a corner at Clifden's Station House hotel complex. The complex, which was built over a year ago by Galway businessman, Mr John Sweeney, involved restoration of the old buildings used by the Galway-Clifden railway.
After a £140,000 refurbishment of the engine house - a listed building, thanks to former Arts minister, Mr Michael D. Higgins - Mr Sweeney offered the entire ground floor to Ms Lyne.
And what better location than Clifden, which is expecting over 400 entries at its 76th annual show later this week? Among the participants will be Mr Padraig Hynes, one of many local breeders with an extensive knowledge of the Connemara pony. His father, Tom, also a successful breeder, has contributed a valuable bridle to the museum.
"People have been very generous," Ms Lyne said, as she explained the background to a stock which was once used for pulling carts, drawing ploughs and carrying creels of turf, and which is now shown worldwide. She bought her first Connemara pony 35 years ago, called Arctic Moon.
"It bred 16 foals and jumped, and next thing I found myself writing and judging and participating in annual international conferences." She is author of Shrouded in Mist - An Early History of the Connemara Pony, and several sequels, while she also compiled a 50th anniversary history for the English Connemara Society.
The collection includes two carts which Ms Lyne owns, and a plough once pulled by a Connemara pony and found in a ditch in Kilcolgan. Information panels mounted with the help of a Spiddal photographer, Tom Byrne, chart the progress of the Connemara Pony Breeders' Society from its foundation in 1923, and the role played by the late Lord Killanin.
There are memorable images of the "Flaps" on the strand - the Connemara races which date from 1940 to 1960 - and studbooks, rosettes and show programmes.
The pony even played a role in Third World development; two horses were sent to Lesotho in 1978 as part of a project to improve the Basotho pony breed. "Its easy temperament and its adaptability mean that it can thrive in most climates," Ms Lyne said. Societies thrive in Finland, Denmark and as far away as Australia and South Africa.
Upstairs in the museum, tributes to Alcock and Brown's first non-stop transatlantic flight which landed near Clifden in June 1919 and the former Galway-Clifden railway are currently being mounted, with assistance from the Connemara historian, Ms Kathleen Villiers-Tuthill.
The Connemara railway provided a 40-mile link and ran across some of the most breathtaking Irish scenery. Opened in 1895, it had seven stations, and the track cost an average £9,000 a mile.
Mr Sweeney has located a steam train in Tuam which once plied the route, and has sought Iarnrod Eireann's permission to exhibit it. Unfortunately, the company has so far refused.
The Connemara Pony Museum at the Station House, Clifden, Co Galway, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and noon to 6p.m. Sunday from May to October, admission is free. Tel: (095) 21494.