IFJ Junior: showtime for sibling cattle handlers

The crowd gathers in excitement as the handlers get their cattle ready for the big face-off.

The winner takes the €100 prize and the prestige of being the champion at Ireland’s largest one-day agricultural event, the Tullamore Show and FBD National Livestock Show.

This is a moment young Tadhg, Aoife, Eilis and Michael Hannon are quite familiar with – they’ve been showing cattle for two years under their father’s guidance.

But let’s rewind and go back to the preparations that lead up to these shows. “We wash them the day before and we feed them every day, and give them minerals as well,” says Tadhg (11), the eldest of the four.

Indeed, a lot of feeding and nutritional work goes on in the background, according to Mike Hannon, the father of the four young handlers.

“Getting close to the show, you have the clipping of the feet, washing the cattle, and trimming their hair too. There’s a lot of training involved in getting them cattle ready as well – training to walk, lead and stand correctly,” says Mike.

“We comb their hair too, after the trimming,” Tadhg says. Aoife adds that “we also have to get the showbox ready. That’s where we keep all the stuff, like the soap and the halters and the combs.”

Aoife is nine years old and is in fourth class in Kilfinny National School – the same school her siblings go to.

When the big day arrives, Mike and the kids have to transport the cattle from their farm in Croagh, Co Limerick to the show. “We use a cattle trailer. There can be five or six cattle in them, depending on their size,” Tadhg explains. “It’s always a family day out, sometimes even their grandparents come along,” says Mike.

“When we get there, we wash the cattle again and find a place for them. We put up the tent and start to get them ready,” Tadhg says. As a handler, he wears the familiar outfit of a shirt and a tie, as well as a white coat and jeans.

“Weather related clothes as well, depending on the day. As many of us know, Ireland’s weather isn’t always perfect, you need to dress for that,” he says with a smile. Then it’s finally showtime.

“We take the cattle out and pull them by the halter or the ring in their nose,” Tadhg explains. Do these young handlers ever get nervous during the shows? After all, there are a number of onlookers and a judge or two involved as well.

“No, I don’t,” little four-year-old Michael tells Irish Country Living with enthusiasm – “my calf is called Kevin and I really like showing him.”

As for Aoife and Eilis, they explain that they only get a little nervous if it’s a bigger crowd, like the Tullamore Show. Eilis is seven years old and her favourite classes are art and math, although for now her plan is to become a farmer one day.

Once the young handlers are out there in the ring with the cattle, it’s time for the judge to take a closer look at the animal. Mike judges sometimes, so he knows what they’re looking for.

“As a judge you’re looking at correctness of feet, legs and body, including height and width. Those are the main points,” he says.

“There are a number of different categories and classes – there could be 30 to 40 classes in a small show. Tullamore is a big event though so there could be 200 classes, that is a lot of cattle. Classes can be divided by breeds and then further divided by age or by weight. We show commercial beef cattle and Belgian Blues.”

Young handlers

The Hannon children aren’t the only young handlers in the showing business. “There’s a good few young ones, all right,” Tadhg tells Irish Country Living, adding that he has some friends who do the same.

“It’s dominated nearly by young people,” his father Mike confirms.

He himself started out showing cattle when he was a child. In fact, showing cattle is kind of a family tradition.

“My parents and my grandfather showed cattle; my family have been doing this for 60 years at this stage.”

Once the show is over, the judge decides who takes the first, second and third place – and each comes with a prize.

“The prize varies in different shows, usually a €100 first prize. The second and third would get a prize as well, around €60 and €30. In big competitions, the prize money can go up to €1,000. But showing cattle is mainly for the love of it, it’s not about the money. It’s a lovely hobby, a pastime for the kids to enjoy,” says Mike, with a smile.

The Hannon family go to 20 shows a year and they’ve won about 25 classes so far in 2024. And the prize money isn’t the only reward that comes with the wins: potential customers will be more likely to buy cattle from them as a result.

As Mike puts it: “For anyone that’s purchasing cattle, they like to purchase the best.” However, the greatest reward is the time dad Mike gets to spend with his four young little handlers.

When asked about their favourite part of it all, Aoife, who is nine responds: “I like combing the cattle and feeding them - but the best part is giving them a rub in the face when they win.”