Erins Isle was an Thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

 racehorse

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 who competed successfully in Ireland and the United States. While racing in Ireland in 1981 for trainer Jim Bolger

Jim Bolger (racehorse trainer)

James S. "Jim" Bolger is an Thoroughbred racehorse trainer and breeder based in Coolcullen in County Kilkenny. For many years now he has been recognised as one of the racing greats in Ireland...

, Erins Isle was originally owned by Hugh Mc Caffrey and sold to a syndicate headed by Brian Sweeney of Dublin. In 1982, Erins Isle was sent to the United States where he raced from a base in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 for U. S. Racing Hall of Fame

National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers...

 trainer, Charlie Whittingham.

In 1983, Erins Isle was a candidate for an Eclipse Award

Eclipse Award

The Eclipse Award is an American thoroughbred horse racing award named after the 18th century British racehorse and sire, Eclipse. The Eclipse Awards, honoring the champions of the sport, are sponsored by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association , Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers...

 following a year in which he competed with the best turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 horses in the United States and notably won the Grade I

Graded stakes race

A graded stakes race is a term applied since 1973 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association to thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada to describe races that derive their name from the stake, or entry fee, owners must pay...

 Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap

Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap

The Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the second week of June at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California...

.

Retired after the 1983 racing season, Erins Isle stood at stud

Stud (animal)

A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...

, meeting with some success as a sire. Among his offspring, in 1990 daughter Laugh And Be Merry won the Grade I Flower Bowl Invitational Handicap and son Rowdy Irishman won the 1997 Breeders' Cup Steeplechase. Erins Isle was also the damsire of Soldier of Fortune

Soldier of Fortune (horse)

Soldier of Fortune is a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2007 Group One Irish Derby Stakes as well as important races in France, and who in 2008 won the Group One Coronation Cup....

 whose wins included the 2008 Irish Derby Stakes

Irish Derby Stakes

The Irish Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs , and it is scheduled to take place each year in late June or early July.It is Ireland's equivalent of the Epsom Derby,...

 and Coronation Cup

Coronation Cup

The Coronation Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 10 yards , and it is scheduled to take place each year in June....

.His daughter Erin's Irish Lass, is the grand dam of Affluent.