Over 60,000 expected to attend agricultural shows this Monday

It’s the biggest week in the 2017 show calendar to date. A packed bank holiday weekend sees 11 shows taking place over the three days.

Six of these shows are set for bank holiday Monday, with a number of big classes and prize funds drawing cattle and sheep enthusiasts from all corners of the country.

Crowd numbers for these shows generally rely heavily on the weather, but last year the bank holiday shows saw a combined attendance of 60,000 through the gates. Weather-permitting, it is hoped to surpass that number this year.

Tinahely

Tinahely leads the way for the eastern shows, with 20,000 expected to attend. This show continues to see a rise in cattle numbers and classes year on year and 2017 is set to be no different.

To accommodate the vast entries expected in all breeds, this year’s show sees seven rings working in sequence to be sure all classes run without a glitch.

This year’s prize fund exceeds €40,000 and sees a total of 70 classes in the cattle section, catering for both pedigree and non-pedigree cattle.

This is the show’s 82nd year and the Belgian Blue Cattle Society has once again renewed its interest in the show by hosting its annual calf show at the Fairwood Park showgrounds.

This €4,000 competition has been a huge attraction over the last number of years, drawing the best Blue breeders the length and breadth of the country to compete.

There will be a range of classes for the breed-with-calf classes for September to December and January onwards for both males and females. These classes see a €300 first prize, as well as money for the top 11 placings in each class.

Tinahely Show and FBD have come together again in sponsoring these classes.

One of the classes which draws the biggest crowd each year is the Derek Rothwell memorial young stockperson of the year.

The late Derek Rothwell advocated the need to involve young people in all aspects of agricultural shows.

In his memory and fulfilling his wishes, organisers of the Tinahely Show are proud to introduce this championship for the benefit of all young exhibitors.

Commercial cattle play a huge part in the Tinahely Show and it’s easy to see why with the prize money going into each category. Kicking it off, the super calf championship brings a substantial €1,300 prize fund to the table. This class is open to all non-pedigree cattle born in 2017.

With €600 for the first-placed animal and a further €350 for the reserve, it’s easy to see why cattle from all parts of the country can be spotted in attendance for this class.

Further adding to the strong commercial classes is the €2,500 Darcy Sands commercial championship. This championship sees prize money for the first seven places, including a massive €1,000 for the first-placed animal. Entries for this class are for any beef bullock or non-pedigree beef heifer of any age.

With such an array on offer, competition across all breeds and sectors is sure to be hot – let’s just hope the weather follows the same trend.

Bonniconlon

On bank holiday Monday, the small town of Bonniconlon will come alive for its 68th show and gymkhana. Last year, an estimated 30,000 attended the show, making it one of the largest in the country.

The show is held on specially developed showgrounds, with neighbouring farms providing areas for sheepdog trials, horse-jumping and parking. The total area of the site for the show has now grown to close on 200 acres.

In recent years, the show has developed into a real family day, offering lots of activities and classes for both young and old.

€65,000 in prize money

The total prize fund this year again is approximately €65,000 across a total of 610 classes. The sheaf-tossing competition, which will take place throughout the day, has a €1,200 prize fund and will host the all-Ireland U-21 championship, all-Ireland novice championship and the masters, senior, senior European and juvenile U-12 and U-15 competitions.

In the cattle section, there will be approximately 90 classes, with some big highlights again this year.

The all-Ireland Simmental-cross heifer championship final will take place at the show with a prize fund of €1,500.

Aurivo’s Nutrias will again sponsor the supreme beef championship, while Zurich Insurance will present the €1,000 heifer of the future championship.

FBD Insurance will sponsor the €1,300 baby beef championship, while Dovea Genetics and AI technician Kevin Sweeney will sponsor a €500 breeding heifer championship.

The Irish Shows Association and Swinford Show Society will once again present the all-Ireland suckler heifer champion, with their share of the €1,600 prize fund sponsored by Progressive Genetics.

The all-Ireland junior commercial calf championship will stand as one of the day’s top attractions with a prize fund of €2,000 kindly sponsored by Archers and Grennans.

There will also be an all-Ireland senior commercial calf championship, which has secured a €2,000 sponsorship from Archers and Kiernan Milling.

The Angus cattle section will see the Irish Angus youth development class and the new attraction for 2017 is the Connacht /Ulster Angus Breeders Club heifer calf championship final. This final requires no entry fee, with animals automatically qualifying on the day in a bid to secure the €125 first prize or €75 second prize.

Sheep

In recent years, the show has positioned itself to be one of the leading sheep shows in the country. This year is no different, with over 800 sheep expected to make their way to the showgrounds, up significantly on 2017 levels.

There are almost 90 sheep classes, including the €1,500 all-Ireland ewe final. The show will also host the all-Ireland mountain ram championship, along with a range of all-Ireland Lleyn classes, including the all-Ireland Lleyn purebred ewe lamb, ewe shearling, ewe aged two years and over, ram lamb, ram shearling and the all-Ireland purebred ram aged two years and over.

There will also be a number of national finals across a range of breeds taking place throughout the day.

Other agricultural shows taking place over the weekend