The Story of the Podreen Mare During the 18th Century the racecourse at Broughshane was frequented by horse lovers, from all over the country, eager to cheer on their charges and hopefully win their bets. The racecourse at this time was on a level field close to the village of Broughshane and the course was just a little more than one full mile, all the way round. In the 1760s the local landlord of the Broughshane Estate, Charles ONeill, acquired a rather highly spirited mare, which he decided to name the Broughshane Swallow. Great excitment gripped the area when news quickly spread about the newly acquired mare. When the time came and Broughshane Swallow was matched with another strong contender, many guinea wagers were laid down by the local racegoers. Hopeful spectators flocked from far and wide to watch the eagerly awaited spectacle. But shortly before the race an old woman handed Charles ONeill a string of Rosary beads. As she gave ONeill the beads she told him that his horse was sure to win. But only on one condition. The mare would win every time she ran a race - but only if she was wearing the string of rosary beads around her neck. Now ONeill was not a very religious man, and the old woman had quickly disappeared into the excited crowds, but he was so eager that the Broughshane Swallow would win every race, he duly placed the beads around the horses neck! And when it was time for the mare to run she easily beat the other horse, and of course Charles was thrilled. He carefully put the beads in his pocket and off he went to celebrate. But stories like these are hard to keep secret so it wasnt long before new contenders were brought to the area to race against the famous Podhreen Mare! Crowds flooded into the racecourse and many wagers were placed on O Neills sure fire bet! But make no mistake the Podreen mare was no ordinary horse. The race began and all the horses raced their very best but it was the Podhreen Mare who crossed the line well ahead of all her contenders. The crowd went mad throwing their hats in the air and cheering loudly. ONeill was over joyed with pride and excitement! But then tragedy struck. The mare started to falter and with a final whinny she staggered and fell to the ground. The Podreen mare had died in front of the adoring punters. ONeill could not be consoled. There before him lay his pride and joy, after running her heart out to please the assembled crowds. But worse was to come when shortly after the race ONeill too died - of a broken heart. And what became of the winning beads - well they were never found again.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:48:55 +0000