New documentary to tell story of Raphoe cowboy “Texas Ollie”

A new documentary film will tell the remarkable story of a Raphoe native who became a famous cowboy and musician.

Ollie Hepburn, aka “Texas Ollie”, made his dreams of being a cowboy come true long after his childhood in the 1950s.

Growing up in Raphoe in the 1950s, the wild west flicks on the silver screen always captivated him – particularly Roy Rogers, the singing cowboy.

Much later in life, Ollie would go on to join the Spirit of the Horse travelling show, as well as performing in Dude Ranches in Texas and Germany, becoming famous for training his own show horses too.

That career was spawned by a chance trip to a horse fair in Enniskillen.

It was there that Ollie encountered a horse named Silver, a spirited horse that was to take him on the journey of a lifetime.

“I went to the horse fair just for a run, I didn’t take my trailer, didn’t take any money… ended up buying Silver. I dunno why because I didn’t want the horse….. I said he hypnotised me and he will till my dying day.”

Silver refused to be trained like any other horse, with Ollie finding him so difficult that he considered selling him.

Luckily, Silver ended up provind that notion very wrong. He picked up a hat that was laying on the ground, a hat which brought Ollie back to his boyhood days and cowboy films in Raphoe – “wouldn’t that make some trick” Ollie thought.

Together, Ollie and Silver trained tirelessly, developing a unique repertoire of cowboy tricks inspired by Ollie’s childhood heroes. Their partnership led to performances in Spirit of the Horse, where they wowed audiences across Ireland, the UK, and Dubai, living out Ollie’s boyhood fantasy before thousands of fans.

This heartwarming documentary film celebrates not only a man and his horse but also the enduring power of hope, friendship, resilience, and imagination – proving that some dreams never die.

Today, Ollie lives on a small ranch outside Glenties with his retired trick horses, JoJo and Rubio. Though Silver has since passed, his spirit endures in the memories and lessons of a remarkable friendship.

“Ollie still has a passion for life and refuses to ride off into the sunset,” says filmmaker Emmet Harte, who developed and directed the documentary.

“He’s always wondering what his next adventure could be.”

Speaking about the making of Texas Ollie, Harte adds:

“I met Ollie while working on a programme for RTÉ and remembered him from my own childhood in Raphoe. When I heard about his life, I knew it was a story that needed to be told. Over twelve months of filming, what shone through was Ollie’s authentic character, his love for his horses, and his belief that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. Ollie was in his 50s when his life changed, I think there’s a lesson for us all in that.”

Texas Ollie will have its premiere showing in The Volt House, Raphoe on Saturday, November 15th at 7pm.

New documentary to tell story of Raphoe cowboy “Texas Ollie” was last modified: October 25th, 2025 by Staff Writer