ITBA Celebrates 100th Anniversary On Thursday

[Wandering Eyes]

Edited Press Release

The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (ITBA) will reach its centenary on January 15, 2026. A brief history and major milestones of the organisation are below.

Founded in January of 1926 as the Bloodstock Breeders Association of Ireland, the inaugural council was led by president Peter Fitzgerald and supported by Frank Barbour, Ernest Bellaney, Col. Ar. Blake, Isidore Blake, Capt. J. Cecil Brodie, Major J. Scarvell Cape, D.J. Cogan, Capt. Bernard Daly, S.C. Dawson, Major T.G.C. Gerard, W.P. Gill, J.W.A. Harrie, Albert Lowry, J.J. Maher, F.B. O'Toole, Senator J.J. Parkinson, G. Smithwick, J.C. Sullivan and C.T. Wallis, with F.S. Myerscough as the honorary secretary.

Courtesy of the BBA of Ireland, there was a formal definition of an Irish-bred horse in 1943. The call for a national stud in 1944 demonstrated an understanding of the infrastructure required for longevity of the industry. The Association's engagement with the Government on transport conditions, effects of World War II, and its support for breeders during outbreaks of Foot and Mouth in the 1940s and strangles in the 1960s, reflected a readiness to assist Irish breeders when the industry was most vulnerable.

For many years, The Irish Horse served as the Association's annual record—a publication that combined statistics, pedigrees, stallion fertility figures, and international reports with photographs and commentary. Discussions around an Irish Equine Research Centre in 1979 reflected a growing awareness of the scientific and veterinary demands of a modern breeding landscape. In 1975, the BBA of Ireland moved to its current location outside Goffs in Co Kildare and a few years later in 1981, the Association became known as the ITBA, with the amalgamation of the Irish Bloodstock Breeders Association and the Thoroughbred Mares Owners Association.

For anyone with an interest in tracing the history of the Association, past records and minutes of the meetings are available to view on request—a reminder that the story of Irish breeding has always been shaped not only by great horses, but by the people and structures that supported them.

For more information, visit the ITBA website.

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