“Irish Jack” Enright and his wife started visiting Wyoming more than a decade ago from London to spend time on a ranch near Laramie. The couple fell in love with the Two Bar Seven almost immediately and came back every year – some times twice a year:
‘That got to be pretty expensive,” said Enright. Along the way, Enright took an interest in cutting – another expensive proposition. “You don’t have to be rich to get involved in the sport but it sure helps. Unfortunately, we’re not rich,” said Enright. Cutting involves the horseback act of singling out a cow from a herd and isolating it from the rest. Enright’s proven a natural at the sport and competed in the World Finals last month in Amarillo. “We did our best and had a great time,” he said. The native of County Kerry, Ireland has resided in Cheyenne the past four years and is now serving as president of the Wyoming Cutting Horse Association. The lifelong horseman can’t explain what captivated him about cutting. “It’s very difficult to describe. I’ve jumped horses, ridden cross-country, the whole deal. But this just gets in your blood. I think it is more addictive than drugs,” he laughed:
Enright’s rural Ireland upbringing in the 1960s included much cleaning of “cow sheds” and very little television. “There was only programming for a few hours in the evening and my favorite show was ‘The Virginian.’ That was a big treat,” Enright said. The weekly western was set in Wyoming but coming to the “Cowboy State” never really appeared a possibility. “We were living in London and out of the blue one day my wife said maybe we should go over to America and visit a ranch,” Enright recalled. He explained his childhood memory of a television western and Wyoming was their choice:
Enright is employed by the Jeffrey C. Wardell Academy in Cheyenne where he works with troubled youth. “We’re like natives now, living our dream, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” he said. Enright was asked to join the Mounted Marshall unit at
Cheyenne Frontier Days a few years ago and that parade duty involves crowd control along with a number of other jobs. The annual ten-day western celebration also brings a significant contingent of Irish people to Cheyenne. “Our house is an extension of Frontier Park during that time. We had seventeen people visiting last year,” Enright notes. “Some had to stay outside in tents.” The gift of gab and a kiss of the Blarney Stone brought about a 2009 fund-raising project for the cutting horse association that would be hard to match. Calling on friends and family, Enright has arranged a seven-day trip to Ireland for two that includes airfare, car rental, accommodations and numerous activities. The dream list covers a couple of rounds at the famed Ballybunion Golf Club, a dolphin viewing tour, castle visits, a trip round the Ring of Kerry and a lot more. “We’ll take care of all the arrangements and there will be someone there to call if any needs come up during the trip,” Enright assured.
He hopes to have the raffle drawing in June to allow time for the trip before fall. Tickets are $25 apiece; five for $100. “Obviously times are tough so we don’t want to price anybody out of a chance at this,” Enright said. For more details contact “Irish Jack” by calling: 307. 514.2181. Information concerning the fund raising project is to be posted soon on the association website:
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