Shergar - horsenapped 30 years ago today

[Donnellys Hollow]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

O'Callaghan's version of events (that the horse was "put out of it's misery" after injuring himself in the box) is disputed in the article?

As far as I am concerned, any article that gives any sort of credence to what O'Callaghan says, is a worthless article. The sensationalist/ dramatised language of the recollection of an "unnamed" but somehow still "impeccable" source does nothing to enhance the level of worth I'd place on the article either. Aside from that, I'm sure it's completely plausible that two men could spend "several minutes" trying unsuccessfully to kill a horse by machine gun 

I hope you never have to put down a horse!

Shooting a half tonne thoroughbred through their midriff is only going to result in a slow and painful death no matter how many times you penetrate the heart or the lungs. Their organs are obviously much bigger and stronger than ours so they will continue to function for longer when they're punctured. The only way to humanely put down a horse is to draw an intersection between their two eyes and their ears. That intersection (a target no bigger than an old 10p) must be hit to avoid undue suffering. Shooting them between the eyes only penetrates their sinus cavity and the horse will suffer. Believe me, I've seen it done wrong and it is horrific. I don't think it is implausible for a horse to remain thrashing for a few minutes if it has not been euthanised correctly. Some horses will continue to take reflexive breaths even after they are dead.

[lynchbhoy]

You think they wouldn't have shot it in the head?
Or worse case , if they were 'machine gunning' it , that a few of the bullets wouldn't have hit it in the head?

[Donnellys Hollow]

You think they wouldn't have shot it in the head?
Or worse case , if they were 'machine gunning' it , that a few of the bullets wouldn't have hit it in the head?

The horse will suffer and have a prolonged death unless they hit that small target at the intersection of its two eyes and its ears. You're talking about a target no bigger than 3/4s of an inch in diameter. Sadly it's something I have had to witness in the past and it takes a good degree of knowledge and skill to carry it out correctly. Any vet who does it has to be prepared to fire again immediately after the initial discharge if they miss that target first time. Simply shooting a horse anywhere else on their head will not kill the animal instantly.

[muppet]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

Stage 2.

[Shamrock Shore]

I do think O'Callaghan was given to hypebole but DH's undoubted knowledge of the horse should be respected. I never knew how to put down a horse until now (apart from putting down a €10 on some useless plodder) and I am sure that Ireland's finest patriots, when faced with a thrashing beast with foam coming out of its mouth and nostrils flaring and eyes like the eyes of Satan himself, hardly were concerned with the humane aspect of a killing.

So I would think they did go all Al Capone on the poor animal.

And yes, DH is also right in that the patriots could have caused the loss of many jobs in Kildare. Of course the financial loss incurred by some of owners of the horse when the insurance company refused to pay did not seem to overtly concern them.

Great and brave men for sure.

[seafoid]

The article sounds like a propaganda piece. I'd say those responsible would have shot the horse in the head. Machine gunned to bleed to death like many of their victims is overly dramatic and not the MO of the oglaigh Na heireann.

'twas a strange sensation having your attic searched for a horse as a young fella I have to admit!

The Oglaigh were masters in murdering humans but that sort of expertise is not necessarily transferable to horses . It is like anything else - if they only did it once how could they do it properly? Assume the cause is just - it doesn't follow that the oglach is omniscient or omnicompetent . And in fairness  attention to detail would not be a national trait . Even up north. 

[stibhan]

'Inflict death on this magnificent creature' holy Christ Donnelly's Hollow that better be a troll.

[Aaron Boone]

Wasn't Channel 4's Derek 'Tommo' Thompson in the middle of this story as well?

[Itchy]

The article sounds like a propaganda piece. I'd say those responsible would have shot the horse in the head. Machine gunned to bleed to death like many of their victims is overly dramatic and not the MO of the oglaigh Na heireann.

'twas a strange sensation having your attic searched for a horse as a young fella I have to admit!

The Oglaigh were masters in murdering humans but that sort of expertise is not necessarily transferable to horses . It is like anything else - if they only did it once how could they do it properly? Assume the cause is just - it doesn't follow that the oglach is omniscient or omnicompetent . And in fairness  attention to detail would not be a national trait . Even up north. 

I'm surprised you didn't blame Israel for this seafood.

[Lar Naparka]

Aside from the predictable burger jokes can anyone point to where Shergar is buried - or is he still working in a 7-11 with Elvis?

I remember the day well when the news came in. Seemingly the Gardaí started checking car boots and lofts looking for the horse.
All anecdotal evidence points to the horse going mental and being shot after a day or so and buried in Leitrim - but nothing was ever found to back this up.

hard to believe but true!

You'd better believe it!
The man in charge of the garda investigation was straight out of Fawlty Towers.
Supt. Jim "Spud" Murphy was a lampoonist's dream and his daily media interviews were amongst the reasons why the case got such international attention.
Murphy always wore a black trilby hat and a fawn overcoat with a belt and padded shoulders – for all the world like a PI in an American gangster movie.
His accent was pure stage Irish and maybe 'twas just as well that no one could make out what he was saying most of the time.
During one interview the bould Spud came out with something like, 'We have got a good description, but what we haven't got is a clue:; a clue; that is what we haven't got."
Then told the assembled reporters that he was turning to diviners, clairvoyants and psychics too help in the investigation.
The media loved him but for all the wrong reasons.

[Nally Stand]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

Stage 2.

Oops, sorry muppet. You're right as always. From now on, I'll accept as gospel the contents of any article which is based around the accounts of an egotistical, compulsive liar called Sean O'Callaghan and around the recollection of any "unnamed" (but somehow still "impeccable") source.

[Hardy]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

Stage 2.

Stage 3 - "It shouldn't have happened".

Stage 4 - the apology.

[Nally Stand]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

Stage 2.

Stage 3 - "It shouldn't have happened".

Stage 4 - the apology.

Stage 1 - Smug, condescending comment from atop of one's ivory tower

Stage 2 - Repeat stage 1 indefnintely

[Hardy]

Ye'd ate beef burgers, chicken fillets and eggs and not give a damn about how it got on your table. But a bit of journalistic artistry and the butchering of an animal who won people money for being fast and ......

Yes - there's no difference between an abattoir operating under strict regulations and a shed in Leitrim or between humane killing and killing an animal by shredding enough of its flesh while it's alive that it bleeds to, yes, a lingering death, yes, crazed with pain.

[Hardy]

That article by DH is a load of horse manure.

No it's not

In my opinion it is.

Because the person mentioned is from Tyrone?..

Any article which takes the infamous liar Sean O'Callaghan seriously, can and should be regarded as manure. Not if they quoted Pinnochio, Ronnie Flanagan or Lance Armstrong could they have picked a more untrustworthy individual to reference.

Stage 2.

Stage 3 - "It shouldn't have happened".

Stage 4 - the apology.

Stage 1 - Smug, condescending comment from atop of one's ivory tower

Stage 2 - Repeat stage 1 indefnintely

Still stuck in stage 2.