Polo, a sport which claims to be older than hurling, has been introduced to Co Limerick by the managers of a riding school and is being taught to a budding team of enthusiasts.
The Clonshire Equestrian Centre in Adare opened its all-weather polo grounds last month as a way of maintaining the interest of horse enthusiasts who might be growing bored with riding.
Ms Sue Foley, who manages the centre with her husband, Dan, says the all-weather polo ground was built as a diversion for repeat clients and for experienced locals, although one does not have to be a good rider to learn. It is also a shared experience.
"Our plan would be that the players themselves would set up their own club," she says.
Crossword enthusiasts may be familiar with the word "chukka", of Hindi origins, which describes one of the four 71/2-minute periods of play. But the sport, once popular among British officers in India, is believed to have originated in Iran about 600BC, with the modern rules invented at the Hurlingham Club in London in the 19th century.
Eight "stocky" polo ponies have been imported from Argentina where polo is a national sport, and a coach, Mr Malcolm Kidd, takes weekend training sessions.
The Clonshire Equestrian Centre is one of a handful of polo centres in the State, the others being in Wicklow, Laois and Waterford. Ms Foley says that all those hurlers and camogie players will adapt well to using a mallet. "Because of the hurling and ball sports that are such a tradition in this county, we feel it will take off really well in Ireland."
The nine-year-old centre is the property of Limerick Hunt which holds the 120-acre estate in trust. The centre was founded by Lord Harrington, senior master of the Co Limerick Hunt and the grandfather of Serena Stanhope, a member of the British royal family. His former property at Greenmount, Patrickswell, has been developed into the new Limerick race course.
The Clonshire estate was bought in the 1940s by members of the Co Limerick Hunt Club. It includes Clonshire House, a 17th-century Georgian hunting lodge, a livery yard where horses are stabled, and the Limerick Hunt kennels.
Ms Foley says one of the reasons Lord Harrington built the centre was to open up country experiences for city dwellers. Shannon Development became involved, providing agri-tourism grants for the building of an outdoor arena and cross-country course.
Two years later, in 1993, an indoor arena was built, and a year later the Clonshire Amateur Riders' Club was established. More than £150,000 was spent, and the centre now has FAS apprentices learning horse skills. It is also used by University of Limerick students as part of the college's Equine Science Degree programme.
Ms Foley was a freelance riding teacher living in Charleville, Co Cork, when she heard about the centre. A British Horse Society examiner, she is chairwoman of Equestrian Holidays Ireland, which markets equestrian tourism. "Equestrian tourism is growing all the time," she says, noting that Bord Failte has set aside £200,000 for overseas marketing of the pursuit.
As she describes it, the number of horses at the centre went from seven to 70 in five years and has since nudged up to about 80. A small number is kept for resale, and this week a deal with an American woman for a seven-year-old gelding for £4,000 seemed to be clinched.
"The Irish horse is perfect for those people because it has a calm temperament and is very safe." Disabled children take well to horses, and the centre has had children from Limerick's Bawnmore Centre enjoying a day in the country. "It is an outing for them. You would be amazed how they react."
The experience has also proved to be valuable for children from deprived backgrounds. "The horse has an amazing ability to draw the best out of people. You get a lot of kids who will not do any other sport but who will go riding," says Ms Foley.
Mr Tim O'Brien, a director of the centre and chairman of the Co Limerick Hunt, says that it offers opportunities for riders to graduate to joining one of the hunts which run from November to March. "The big thing about it now is that it is so available to the county of Limerick and the whole tourism industry."
Tourists are now coming from Britain, the US and the Continent to join in hunts. He believes its future is safe if the unregistered splinter packs are kept in check. Registered hunts follow Government regulations, notably calling off the hunt once the fox goes to earth.
The Polo and Equestrian Centre can be viewed on the Web at www.clonshire.com