Maureen Mullins, Irish racing's great matriarch and the mother of the champion trainer Willie Mullins, has died at the age of 94 following a short illness.
Wife of the late Paddy Mullins, a multiple champion handler who managed the career of the great Dawn Run before passing away aged 91 in 2010, Maureen leaves an incredible legacy behind her.
She had four sons and a daughter–trainers Tom, Willie and Tony along with George and daughter Sandra–who have gone on to make the Mullins name a dominant force in Irish racing and beyond.
The remarkable tradition has been continued through Maureen's grandchildren, with Willie's son Patrick becoming the record-breaking Irish champion amateur, Tony's son Danny scooping multiple Grade 1s in the saddle and George's son Emmet, who also partnered many big-race winners as a rider, emulating his uncle Willie's achievements in winning the Grand National as a trainer with Noble Yeats in 2022. Six years previously, it was Tom's son David who partnered the Mouse Morris-trained Rule The World to win the Aintree showpiece.
On Tuesday, another one of her grandchildren, Charlie, led home a one-two-three for Willie in the bumper at Thurles.
Maureen was an ever-present figure on an Irish racecourse and was in attendance at her local track Gowran Park for its flagship Thyestes Chase fixture on January 25 where she was on hand to officially open the new weighroom.
At the Horse Racing Ireland Awards in 2016, she was presented with the Contribution to the Industry Award.
Willie commented at the time, “That was unexpected, and great for her and for everyone in the family. She enjoys her racing, enjoys life, and has an interest in everyone's horses–mine, Tony's, Tom's–and the careers of Danny, David and Patrick. It's a lot to keep her occupied.”
She was also a winning rider herself, steering Razzo Forte to glory in a female riders' event at Gowran Park in 1982, a race which her daughter also rode in. She was involved as an owner and breeder down the years, with Kilcruit a recent feather in her cap having won the Grade 1 Punchestown bumper following his sale having initially raced in her colours.
Requiem mass will take place at 12 o'clock on Friday in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Goresbridge, County Kilkenny, followed by burial in the new cemetery, Goresbridge.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
