The late John Connaughton, who passed away on 14 January 2026.
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Tributes have been pouring in following the death of long-standing and well-known Simmental breeder John Connaughton of Barrettstown House in Co Westmeath.
Breeding pedigree Simmental cattle since 1971 under the Ballybane prefix, John was one of the first breeders to import pedigree Simmental cattle from Austria in 1971.
A past president of the Irish Simmental Cattle Society, John was highly regarded in the Simmental breed as not only a pioneer of the breed, but a true cattleman and gentleman.
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On top of selling bulls into AI, such as Ballybane Lad, one of John's greatest accomplishments over the years was selling pedigree Simmental cattle to America.
As well as excelling in breeding pedigree Simmental, John was also a successful horse breeder, receiving multiple awards over the years.
Outside of farming, he also owned the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar with his family.
His requiem mass will take place on Saturday 17 January at 1pm in the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar, before a private burial.
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Tributes have been pouring in following the death of long-standing and well-known Simmental breeder John Connaughton of Barrettstown House in Co Westmeath.
Breeding pedigree Simmental cattle since 1971 under the Ballybane prefix, John was one of the first breeders to import pedigree Simmental cattle from Austria in 1971.
A past president of the Irish Simmental Cattle Society, John was highly regarded in the Simmental breed as not only a pioneer of the breed, but a true cattleman and gentleman.
On top of selling bulls into AI, such as Ballybane Lad, one of John's greatest accomplishments over the years was selling pedigree Simmental cattle to America.
As well as excelling in breeding pedigree Simmental, John was also a successful horse breeder, receiving multiple awards over the years.
Outside of farming, he also owned the Bloomfield House Hotel in Mullingar with his family.
His requiem mass will take place on Saturday 17 January at 1pm in the Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar, before a private burial.
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