Willie Gleeson was Helen’s first and only boyfriend.
Willie Gleeson, from Knocklong, County Limerick, Ireland, died on November 5, 2017. He was ninety-two.
Willie was known to just about every foxhunting visitor worldwide who ever hunted with the world-famous Scarteen Black and Tans. He hired out well-schooled, athletic field hunters that carried visitors safely over the imposing and sometimes treacherous banks and ditches of the Scarteen hunting country. Many of those visitors had never before faced such obstacles, but Willie’s horses knew what to do!
Ireland was a very different place in 1925 when Willie Gleeson was born near the sporting village of Hospital on the Limerick/Tipperary border. At an early age he was unofficially adopted by his uncles who farmed near Knockarron just over the Tipperary border. This was to be the foundation of an extraordinary career associated with the world of horses, foxhunting, and national hunt racing. While his adoptive uncles had only farm horses at Ballyloobey, their farm was in an area where the horse was king. The Scarteen hounds were kennelled just down the road, and almost everyone in the area was involved.
From an early age, young Willie was much sought after as a jockey in the very competitive world of pony racing, then referred to as flappin. His talent for dealing with difficult horses soon became evident. It was the start of a long and successful life where horses came second only to family.
In due course he married Helen Bourke of Lackelly in Knocklong, whose father was one of the founding officers of the Irish army. Willie and Helen knew each other since childhood. Fourteen years older, Willie was Helen’s first and only boyfriend. Four children were to follow—John, Liam, Mary, and Matthew—all of whom inherited their father’s affinity with horses. John holds a trainer’s licence and also works at Ballysheehan stud. John has trained some useful horses including Black Scorpion. Liam, an architect, is a keen foxhunting man, and Mary in her early days was a keen and talented rider. Matthew, meanwhile, is one of the head lads in the all conquering Ballydoyle, arguably the finest racing establishment in the world.
Lord Oaksey, in his autobiography, Mince Pie for Starters, speaks fondly of Willie and his hirelings, particularly the sure footed Tango who carried him across the monumental Scarteen doubles. What the noble lord didn’t refer to was that he was so dirty after a fall in the “factory” ditch that when it came to returning to the box (and the pub) he had to be loaded in the boot of someone’s new Mercedes driven by Willie. He wasn’t alone in this unconventional conveyance as he had to share the boot with John Magnier who had suffered a similar fate.
Willie set up his farm as an equestrian holiday centre for many years where continental and American vacationers came to enjoy the Irish countryside from the back of a horse. He also held a trainer’s licence and would usually have had a runner in the Punchestown bank races with either John or Liam as jockeys.
Willie continued riding long after he gave up foxhunting. On one particular day, as he was exercising his granddaughter’s pony, he joined in as hounds passed, jumping everything that came his way until hounds went home.
He judged horse shows all over Ireland, and regularly judged the Irish draught classes at the Royal Dublin Horse Show. As recently as last August he judged the Bansha show where he had been a fixture in the catalogue since the foundation of the show.
To his wife Helen, his four children, and many grandchildren we offer our sympathy. In his ninety-two years he made many friends and no enemies. He will be missed.
Posted December 28, 2017
This article recently appeared in The Irish Field and is republished with permission.