Two of Ted's uncles had settled in America.
One had become a champion jumps trainer whilst the other ran a riding school on Long Island. The son of the latter rode the winners of several American Grand Nationals.
Not unnaturally, they sent back glowing reports of their life in the USA.
Ted's family between the them ran a pub in Co Cork and also farmed. There were also involved in horse-dealing, selling hunters, point-to-pointers and supplying troop horses for the military. For the family to cross the ocean and share the good life enjoyed by the uncles was just too tempting: sometime in the mid-1950s, when Ted was still a child, the family sailed on the 'Mauretania' to New York.
It seemed like a great adventure was in store, but they had reckoned without the weather. New York winters were breathtakingly cold and the family, disillusioned, moved around North Carolina, Saratoga and Belmont as they sought greater comfort and ties. But it was not to be.
Too many house changes and numerous school changes compiled their unhappiness: reluctantly they returned to Ireland and bought a yard in Phoenix Park, Dublin and began training.
In 1960, they bought a property in Kill (birthplace of Ruby Walsh), Co Kildare.
In 1966, Ted - then sixteen years old - began race riding. Too heavy to consider turning professional, he retained an amateur status to become eleven times Irish amateur champion.
He then went on to become the all-time amateur rider champion, riding over 600 winners, more than any other amateur on either side of the Irish Channel.
Ted won on some amazing horses including Brown Lad, Monksfield and Ten Up. He won four Cheltenham Festival winners starting with Castleruddy (1974 Kim Muir) then Prolan in the same race two years later. He took the Foxhunters' on Attitude Adjuster and then - his greatest ride, some say - he took on the professional riders in Two Mile Champion Chase (later known as the Queen Mother) and came home first on Hilly Way with the English-trained favourite Dramatist toiling in second.
When Ted's father, Ruby, died in 1990, Ted took over the running of the yard which had been his home for 34 years. He said at the time: 'I would never have never have taken over the yard while Dad was alive: we got on so well and we have good memories.'
The yard, at that time, contained thirty boxes.
Ted, together with his wife, Helen, and three children, set up home to one side of the boxes. His mother lived on the other side.
Following family tradition, no more than 25 of the boxes held horses to be trained and raced: the remaining boxes housed horses for sale.
As might be expected, Ted proved himself to be an outstanding trainer, one of his greatest triumphs coming in the 2000 Grand National.
Jockey Brendon Sheridan spotted the unbroken four-year-old, Papillon, at the Doncaster Sales and liked it a lot. On his recommendation, the horse was bought privately and, once broken in and having shown promise on the track, was sold privately to American owner Betty Moran.
Initially she was loathed to run Papillon in the National but, while on holiday in Jamaica, a friend changed her mind. Ted was in Dubai when the call came from Jamaica: 'Prepare Papillon to win the National.'
Following Vincent O'Brien's advice, Ted ran Papillon in a hurdle race shortly before tackling the big race. O'Brien always insisted that this gave horses confidence before tackling Aintree.
And so it proved. Papillon could be called the winner a long way out.