By Mairtín Ó Catháin

Johnny Rua Mulkerrins has seen many of the best colts from the Connemara pony breed.

Many of them were bred and born in the rugged terrain around his own townland of Callowfeenish in Carna, Co. Galway. But he spotted this one immediately.

“Bhí an-chrochadh faoi," Johnny said; you immediately saw that this was a rangy animal the minute his feet touched the earth. 

They called him 'Callowfeenish PJ', which represent the initials of the brothers Johnny Rua and Peter who bred and reared him.  Johnny’s judgement has proven right.

The colt - now a 12-year-old gelding - is nowadays on Italian jumping teams in European pony competitions.

He has left his native terrain for some years and is currently on sale at €100,000. That is almost certainly a record asking price for a Connemara pony.

Connemara ponies

'Callowfeenish PJ' first left Ireland when he was bought at the sales, which are organised by the Connemara Pony Sales company in Clifden.

Buyers from countries across Europe and the US - there have even been buyers from Asia - as well as Britain and Ireland travel to the sales in west Connemara.

The sales began with 70 ponies in the early 1990s. In the region of 4,000 Connemara ponies go through the Clifden venue annually at present day sales.

The market for the Connemara breed has become synonymous with Clifden.

Six yearly sales covering 20 days now take place at Clifden, which has its own jumping arena adjoining the sales ring. 

The first sales of 2026 will take place from February 20-22; it is the first time that the early spring sales have been extended to three days.

John Sweeney from the Connemara Pony Sales company said they would have found it hard to envisage that the sale events would have reached this peak when they first set out on the venture.

Sweeney, who is also the chairperson of the Connemara Chamber of Commerce (on a voluntary basis), said that they are heartened to note that the pony sales are a significant boost to the tourism industry. 

“Every sale day brings sellers, buyers, pony owners and enthusiasts to Connemara," Sweeney explained.

“It is a sizeable number of people, especially in the quieter time of the year."

One thing is clear from the Connemara Pony Breeders Society statistics - there will be no shortage of the native breed in the foreseeable future.

Statistics

One of the highest yearly number of foal births was recorded by the society over the 2024-2025 period.

Statistics from the society show a total of 3,284 foals of the Connemara breed were born in 2025. That was four more than the previous year.

These figures are a fourfold increase compared to 10 years previously, when 1,232 foals were born in 2015.

However, the 2015 numbers came after a lull in the breed that occurred during the economic downturn.

Foal figures approaching the current statistics were evident before the 2008 economic crash. A more normal statistic historically would be approximately 2,500 foals per year.

Connemara pony events now take place in such far-flung locations as Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia, northern Maine and southern California in the US and northern Sweden and South Africa.

The Connemara ponies are widely recognised for their capacities in jumping and eventing, and ponies that exhibit those characteristics are the most sought after, nowadays.

But as the ponies trot around the world, Johnny Rua and Peter Mulkerrin continue to keep 18 ponies in the traditional way on the hills of Connemara.

Johnny Rua has noted the heights climbed by 'Callowfeenish PJ', but for him and Peter, 'PJ' is just one more of their ponies.

They have never competed or exhibited at shows.

“It was always in our family to have ponies. They are part of our heritage and we respect and care for all of them equally," Johnny said.