Joseph Scahill, a young sheep shearer from Co Mayo, has achieved a major feat in winning the 2026 Golden Shears intermediate shearing title in Masterton, New Zealand.
Scahill has etched his name in shearing history books and becomes only the second Irish shearer to win a prestigious Golden Shears final in its 64 years of competitions. The other winner was David Kingston, Co Cork who won the Golden Shears junior final in 1998.
The Mayo man who is just 21 years of age was a worthy winner shearing eight sheep in just 10 minutes 35.74 seconds. It was Scahill’s speed and shearing skill which carried him over the line in first place and finishing with a score of 42.357 points, 0.401 points ahead of New Zealander Tamati Dennison in second place.
Junior final
Irish shearers and wool handlers are holding their own and excelling among the world’s elite shearers with Sean Dunne, Wicklow finishing second in the Golden Shears junior final. The junior final was a hotly contested event with Dunne pushing Welsh winner Steffan George all the way, finishing just 0.144 points behind. The young Wicklow man shore his five sheep in just eight minutes 38.211 seconds.
Shearing heats
The junior and intermediate competitions were held on the first day of the Golden Shears taking place in Masterton from Wednesday 4 March to Saturday 7 March. Irish shearers Adam Killeen, Paddy Dunne and Patrick Corrigan all qualified for the senior semi-finals heats out of a strong field of 65 competitors.
Brothers Martin and James Hopkins, Westport, Co Mayo have qualified through the second round heats in the Golden Shears world blade or hand shearing competition. There is high hopes for the duo who finished in ninth and tenth place in the heats and qualified for the next round.
Both Irish machine shearers, Denis O’Sullivan, Kerry and Patrick Corrigan, Kildare made it through the first round heats in the Golden Shears world machine shearing championship finishing in sixth and 22nd position, respectively.
The Irish wool handling team of Hazel Crowe, Kildare and Joanne Devanney, Sligo also represented Ireland in the individual wool handling championships.
Sean Dunne, second from left, finished second in the Golden Shears junior final.
/Irish Sheep Shearers Association
Regular updates
The Irish Sheep Shearers Association are posting live updates from the event here with a 12 hour time difference meaning much can have changed while Irish eyes are sleeping.
Intermediate final winning line up – eight sheep shorn
1) Joseph Scahill (Mayo, Ireland) 10m 35.740s, 42.537pts. 2) Tamati Dennison (Kurow) 10m 51.350s, 42.938pts.3) Mitchell Yates (Kimba, South Australia) 11m 04.900s, 43.365pts. 4) Tye Meikle (Oamaru, New Zealand) 10m 37.570s, 43.878pts.5) Zakaia Lewis (Gisborne, New Zealand) 11m 00.710s, 44.656pts. 6) Michael Buick (Pongaroa, New Zealand) 11m 16.330s, 46.566pts.Junior Final winning line-up – five sheep shorn
1) Steffan George (Aberystwyth, Wales) 8m 43.333s, 33.367pts.2) Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 8m 38.211s, 33.511pts.3) Ashlin Swann (Wairoa, New Zealand) 9m 26.154s, 34.908pts. 4) Mac Foreman (Pahiatua, New Zealand) 9m 14.877s, 34.944pts.5) Phoebe Monk (Masterton, New Zealand) 8m 53.851s, 35.293pts.6) Trent Alabaster (Taihape, New Zealand) 8m 27.713s, 35.586pts.
Joseph Scahill, a young sheep shearer from Co Mayo, has achieved a major feat in winning the 2026 Golden Shears intermediate shearing title in Masterton, New Zealand.
Scahill has etched his name in shearing history books and becomes only the second Irish shearer to win a prestigious Golden Shears final in its 64 years of competitions. The other winner was David Kingston, Co Cork who won the Golden Shears junior final in 1998.
The Mayo man who is just 21 years of age was a worthy winner shearing eight sheep in just 10 minutes 35.74 seconds. It was Scahill’s speed and shearing skill which carried him over the line in first place and finishing with a score of 42.357 points, 0.401 points ahead of New Zealander Tamati Dennison in second place.
Junior final
Irish shearers and wool handlers are holding their own and excelling among the world’s elite shearers with Sean Dunne, Wicklow finishing second in the Golden Shears junior final. The junior final was a hotly contested event with Dunne pushing Welsh winner Steffan George all the way, finishing just 0.144 points behind. The young Wicklow man shore his five sheep in just eight minutes 38.211 seconds.
Shearing heats
The junior and intermediate competitions were held on the first day of the Golden Shears taking place in Masterton from Wednesday 4 March to Saturday 7 March. Irish shearers Adam Killeen, Paddy Dunne and Patrick Corrigan all qualified for the senior semi-finals heats out of a strong field of 65 competitors.
Brothers Martin and James Hopkins, Westport, Co Mayo have qualified through the second round heats in the Golden Shears world blade or hand shearing competition. There is high hopes for the duo who finished in ninth and tenth place in the heats and qualified for the next round.
Both Irish machine shearers, Denis O’Sullivan, Kerry and Patrick Corrigan, Kildare made it through the first round heats in the Golden Shears world machine shearing championship finishing in sixth and 22nd position, respectively.
The Irish wool handling team of Hazel Crowe, Kildare and Joanne Devanney, Sligo also represented Ireland in the individual wool handling championships.
Sean Dunne, second from left, finished second in the Golden Shears junior final.
/Irish Sheep Shearers Association
Regular updates
The Irish Sheep Shearers Association are posting live updates from the event here with a 12 hour time difference meaning much can have changed while Irish eyes are sleeping.
Intermediate final winning line up – eight sheep shorn
1) Joseph Scahill (Mayo, Ireland) 10m 35.740s, 42.537pts. 2) Tamati Dennison (Kurow) 10m 51.350s, 42.938pts.3) Mitchell Yates (Kimba, South Australia) 11m 04.900s, 43.365pts. 4) Tye Meikle (Oamaru, New Zealand) 10m 37.570s, 43.878pts.5) Zakaia Lewis (Gisborne, New Zealand) 11m 00.710s, 44.656pts. 6) Michael Buick (Pongaroa, New Zealand) 11m 16.330s, 46.566pts.Junior Final winning line-up – five sheep shorn
1) Steffan George (Aberystwyth, Wales) 8m 43.333s, 33.367pts.2) Sean Dunne (Wicklow, Ireland) 8m 38.211s, 33.511pts.3) Ashlin Swann (Wairoa, New Zealand) 9m 26.154s, 34.908pts. 4) Mac Foreman (Pahiatua, New Zealand) 9m 14.877s, 34.944pts.5) Phoebe Monk (Masterton, New Zealand) 8m 53.851s, 35.293pts.6) Trent Alabaster (Taihape, New Zealand) 8m 27.713s, 35.586pts. 
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