350 A HISTORY OF 



month of August in each year. 1 As a show of horses, 

 especially hunters, the exhibition is unrivalled, and in 

 the society world the horse show has acquired an 

 assured position among the leading social events of the 

 United Kingdom. The first Dublin Horse Show was 

 organised by a committee appointed by the Royal 

 Agricultural Society of Ireland, on the suggestion of 

 the late Lord Howth, then Lord St. Lawrence. It 

 was held on April the 15th, 1864, on the Kildare street 

 premises of the Royal Dublin Society, which were lent 

 for the occasion. There were 370 entries, and the 

 animals were judged in an enclosure in the courtyard 

 of Leinster House. The second show was held in 

 September 1866, under somewhat similar conditions, 

 the Kildare street premises being again lent to the horse 

 show committee by the Royal Dublin Society. The 

 number of entries at this show was 303. 



In August 1867, the committee of agriculture of 

 the Royal Dublin Society recommended the Council to 

 hold an annual horse show, and a special committee 

 was appointed to carry out the recommendation. A 

 subscription list was opened, and contributions to the 

 amount of ^793 were received, including £100 from 

 the Royal Dublin Society. The show was held in the 

 Kildare street premises on July 28th, 1868, and two 

 following days. The number of horses entered was 

 366, and the number of persons who visited the show 

 was 6029. The following resolution appears in the 

 minutes of the horse show committee of June the 

 25th, 1868 : — 



Proposed by Lord St. Lawrence, and seconded by 

 R. C. Wade — " That this committee, judging from 



1 The war with Germany (1914) interrupted this regularity. It 

 was not possible to hold the show, as the military authorities occupied 

 the premises at Ballsbridge for remount purposes. 



