The Clonshire Equestrian Centre was established in May 1991.

The County Limerick Hunt Club own the Clonshire Estate. In fact it was Lord Harrington, Senior Master, who first came up with the idea for the Equestrian Centre.

In 1993 the indoor school was built and in 1994 the indoor Barn, Hay Shed and Machinery Shed was built and the Clonshire Equestrian centre has grown from Strength to strength ever since then, we went from 7 to 70 horse and ponies in seven years.

Dan and Sue Foley began managing the centre in 1992.

Dan Foley. Joint Manager
Dan has successfully brought on numerous young horses through the Show Jumping ranks to National level as well as enjoying considerable success in the eventing field. Dan is also highly valued in Munster as a Showjumping and Cross-country coach. Clonshire is renowned for the quality of its horses and this is as a result of Dan's keen eye and expertise in picking the right horse for the job required. Dan is responsible for many great and enduring horse-rider partnerships in Ireland and throughout the world. It is not unusual to meet clients from Ireland, Europe and North America visiting Clonshire for the weekend to give the final veto to a horse or pony Dan has sourced or trained for them.
They say the judge of a good teacher is the waiting list for his or her class. Well Dan's evening sessions on a Tuesday and Wednesday night are full and can only be experienced by the luck of a cancellation or booking weeks in advance.

Dan is an Equestrian Federation of Ireland Level 1 coach and his pupils have had great success in Amateur, Pony Club, Riding Club, young Rider and professional competitions at home and abroad.


Sue Foley. Joint Manager
Sue is an accomplished competitor and is a British Horse Society (BHS) certified level II Instructor, as well as being an EFI level two coach. Sue is also a champion hunter competitor and has won at the famous Dublin Show. In recent years Sue has competed with distinction in dressage and Eventing competitions. With over 20 years professional experience, Sue has helped many riders improve their technique and she is particularly known for encouraging and training beginners of all ages. Whether you want to compete or just ride as a leisure and relaxation activity, Sue can help you.

Even though the Foleys are raising 3 daughters of their own, Sue has welcomed hundreds of young guests into her home over the years and they have all been treated as part of the family. It is not unusual to meet Sue in Adare, or one of Limerick's shopping centres or at the cinema with several "extra" in the family!

Sue acts as "mother", mentor, confidante, personal trainer, riding coach and friend to clients from 8 to 80 years (and over!!)

Joanne Kavanagh Like most of the Clonshire staff Joanne grew up with horses. Joanne graduated from Writtle College, Essex with a degree in Equine Science in 1998. She then qualified as a BHS instructor (AI) in Clonshire in the 1999/2000 and after several years experience in various thoroughbred, hunting and Showjumping yards, she returned to Clonshire to take over management of the school horses. She has continued her equestrian education, becoming a BHS Riding and Road Safety trainer in 2004 and has completed her Equestrian Federation of Ireland Level One Coaching programme.

Yvonne O'Connor. Livery yard Manager Yvonne is a fully qualified BHS intermediate Instructor and EFI level one coach. With her assistant Mary Barret, she looks after our Livery/Boarding operation where she breaks and schools our specially chosen Irish Sport horses and Connemara ponies. In addition to her gruelling schedule supporting and advising owners, training young stock, managing our "recovery clinic", selecting new stock and preparing our sold mounts for their new homes, Yvonne enjoys teaching the competitive rider and matching Irish horses with new owners and building the partnership. People who has kept a horse in Livery here for even a short while, return to Yvonne for advice and assistance, long after they have taken their equine friend home.

Yvonne teaches a flatwork class and an advanced show jumping class on Thursday evenings which have the same regulars coming for years.


Clonshire Equestrian Centre is approximately 2 ½ miles from the picturesque Village of Adare in the heart of Co. Limerick. There are a variety of Shops, Restaurants and pubs in the Village, there is also lots of places of interest close by including the famous Adare Village thatched cottages. Adare is a perfect touring base for touring in the west of Ireland.