The Dublin Horse Show gets under way on Wednesday and there will be great celebrations on Friday as it will be the 100th anniversary of the first-ever Nations’ Cup at the Ballsbridge arena. Fiona Sheridan, RDS Show director, said: ‘‘The first year was special, taking place a few years after the foundation of the State. The people involved in the RDS decided to run this international competition and invite teams to Dublin. In 1926, just six countries competed for the coveted Aga Khan trophy: Switzerland, Belgium, France, Britain, Holland and Ireland. They were all military teams at that stage, so it was a team from the Irish Army Equitation School, which also celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. They went on to achieve great things afterwards. Before the Nations’ Cup gets under way on Friday many of the winning riders from previous years will be present for a special ceremony, which will be attended by President Catherine Connolly. We will have all the greats, from Eddie Macken to Lady Diana Connelly-Carew, who won in 1963, right up to Cian O’Connor and Max Wachman, the youngest-ever member in Ireland's winning team in 2022 at just 18.’’ Visitors to the RDS this year will also get to see the newly unveiled Anglesea Stand, which underwent a €52m renovation and now has a capacity of 6,775 people.
