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sport · Sunday 12 July 2026 · Event starts during daytime 
Roundstone Connemara Pony, Dog & Sheep Show 2026
At Roundstone Showground · Roundstone, Co. Galway
At Roundstone Showground · Roundstone, Co. Galway
The Roundstone Connemara Pony, Dog & Sheep Show is one of those proper summer days out that Connemara does better than anywhere else. Now in its 19th year, this community show celebrates the Connemara pony - Ireland’s only native pony breed - with a full programme of in-hand classes, plus dog and sheep competitions running alongside. It is the kind of event where competitors arrive from across Connacht with their animals, and spectators who came to watch end up staying half the afternoon. Families, farming folk, and visitors with no particular interest in horses all seem to find something to anchor them.
The pony competition is the centrepiece: around 20 in-hand classes covering all ages and varieties of Connemara pony, judged by impartial judges brought in from outside the area - the committee takes that seriously. The Connemara pony is a hardy, versatile breed that has grazed these bogland parishes for centuries, and seeing them led out at the showground gives you a sense of that deep local connection. The dog show and sheep classes run through the day alongside, giving the whole thing the feel of a traditional rural show rather than a single-discipline competition. Expect a relaxed, informal atmosphere with food stalls and plenty of chat between classes.
Roundstone sits on the south Connemara coast, roughly 75 km west of Galway city. The most practical route is via the N59 from Galway to Recess, then south on the R341 through Ballyconneely towards Roundstone - the drive takes about an hour and a quarter. There is no regular bus service that reaches Roundstone on show day, so a car or hire car is effectively essential. Parking at the showground is available on the day; shows of this size in rural Connemara are well used to managing field parking.
Roundstone village has a working harbour, a cluster of craft studios, and easy access to the beach at Dog’s Bay - one of the best shell-sand beaches in the west of Ireland. The drive back along the coast road at the end of the day is worth taking slowly. There is more to see in Roundstone and across Co. Galway.
Heading to Roundstone Showground in Roundstone? Galway has plenty more to see. Read the Roundstone area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.