A large part of Christmas is enjoying high-quality food, and at the centre of our plate is often turkey and ham. That meat has been carefully cooked and tended to, making sure it is served up beautifully, but well before that stage is the hard work of farmers and butchers.
Aged 21, Emily Callaghan from Co Louth has just been named the first female to win the WorldSkills Ireland Craft Butchery competition. She is encouraging people to support their local butchers this Christmas to ‘help keep the traditional craft alive in Ireland’.
It’s well-known that local butchers across Ireland are facing many challenges with higher input costs and competition from supermarkets resulting in many of them having to close their doors.
In the 1990s, Ireland had 2,300 independent butchers and over 800 abattoirs. Now those figures have fallen considerably, with only 700 butchers and fewer than 150 abattoirs.
Speaking about sourcing your meat from a butcher, Emily says; “The quality of our meat, and how it is reared, along with the sustainability of it all [is the difference]. It’s cost-effective as well.
“Every time I hear someone saying they are going to the butchers, I think good on them.
“When you do support your butcher, you’re getting high-quality meat, hand-picked. If we don’t like the piece, it’ll be sent back, and we’ll get you a better one.”
Having recently completed the two-year National Craft Butchery Apprenticeship, Emily emphasises that supporting your local butcher can help keep the doors open.
“We have seen a large intake of apprentices going into their first year on the craft butcher apprenticeship, which is fantastic to see,” adds Emily.
Rooted in tradition
Emily is now a fifth-generation butcher who decided to earn while she learned after she started working in the family business alongside her dad Andrew, three years ago.
Callaghan’s Butchers in Bettystown is a farm-to-fork craft butcher, sourcing beef and lamb from family-run and local farms since 1906. Their beef is dry-aged for 21-28 days to enhance flavour and tenderness, and their homemade pork sausages, white and black pudding, have been recognised nationally, collectively voted best in Ireland six times.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school. I really didn’t want to go to college. I hated school, and I thought I would only end up dropping out if I went down the college route. I started looking up apprenticeships, and then I came across the National Craft Butchery Apprenticeship,” says Emily.
Having the option of working full-time in the shop while learning in a small class environment at the Teagasc Ashtown site every few weeks appealed to Emily.
Trade Skills winner 2025 Emmily Callaghan, butcher in Callaghan Bettystown, Co Meath. \ Barry Cronin
“Once I started the apprenticeship training, that’s when I started getting into the heavier cuts and the carcasses, which I picked up easily enough. The final leg of the apprenticeship was hard, but it was so worth it,” she explains.
“Growing up, I thought it was normal for girls to be butchers because, in my uncle Peter’s shop in Ardee, there were always women in the shop. My mam and sisters also worked in our shop. My great auntie Agnes was one of the first female butchers in Ireland, and I was the first female to win the butchering competition, so it was a full circle moment,” explains Emily.
She acknowledges there is a lack of representation of women across butchery in Ireland and at times, being a woman in the sector can be challenging, but completing her apprenticeship has helped with that.
“Now when I’m talking to customers, I know the science behind the meat composition like the fibres, proteins and fats, and the slaughtering process, so it’s easier to explain. I’d always noticed they’d be a bit hesitant with me serving them or they would ask for one of the lads. When I learned the theory parts and started speaking about it in the shop, I felt more confident serving them as I knew what I was talking about,” says Emily.
The aspect of it being a male-dominated industry did creep into Emily’s mind, but she didn’t let that stop her, and now she encourages other women interested in the meat industry to give butchering a go.
“I enjoy going to work. You can start your own business or go into the food industry; you can do anything you set your mind to,” she stresses
Emily and her father, Andrew, with her WorldSkills 2025 award in Callaghan's Butchers, Bettystown.
Mastering the craft
After months of training, Emily competed at the WorldSkills Ireland 2025 competition in September, while finishing the final stages of her apprenticeship.
“I spent four months practising and perfecting my cuts. On the first day, I was a nervous wreck, and I wore makeup, which was a bad decision. I was in the bathroom, taking it off with tissues. Then on the second and third day, that’s when I came away from it and realised it was so much fun. Friday was my favourite day, making everything look good and putting it into the display counter.
“Knife work, health and safety, along with hygiene were a big part of the judging. And how you were able to use your knife skills to branch outside of traditional butchery with innovative products,” she explains.
One of the techniques Emily showcased was spiralling. “This is flattening out your piece of meat and putting on a layer of stuffing, with spinach and red onion, then when you cut it, there is a big spiral going through the middle,” she explains.
Emily will now go on to represent Ireland on the world stage at the international World Skills competition in Shanghai in 2026.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have won. It’s an incredible honour to represent my family, my community, and Ireland, and I can’t wait for the challenge ahead in Shanghai.”
Emily was also shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year 2025, a national award covering all apprenticeship disciplines across Ireland. The title went to David Wren, a Mechanical Automation and Maintenance Fitter (MAMF) apprentice who works with Novo Nordisk Ireland.
“This recognition is not just a personal achievement; it’s a step forward towards greater diversity in our craft. I hope it inspires more women to pursue a profession in butchery,” says Emily.
Trade Skills winner 2025 Emmily Callaghan, butcher in Callaghan Bettystown, Co Meath. \ Barry Cronin
Trends among customers
With rising input costs, butchers are under a huge amount of pressure to keep their prices down amid tight profit margins and competition from the supermarkets.
“Last year was tough as people were angry with the increased prices on products, but now with rising prices everywhere, customers are more supportive and know they are getting a value-added product,” Emily says.
She has noticed that, in recent months, the cheaper cuts are more popular.
“The biggest trends I see is that during the summer, people were very into their American barbecue and briskets were flying out the door. I never would have sold them before. But fillet steaks, rib-eyes, and striploins are still very popular,” she says.
As consumers become more conscious of their fat and protein intake, Emily has also noticed they are looking for leaner cuts. She enjoys explaining to them the composition of meat and saturated fats.
“The ready-made meals prove very popular with our older customers who might be cooking for one or two, and along with this, people are looking for an easy cooking option,” she says.
At this time of the year, Emily tells her customers that they should look up a video of a turkey being carved.
“That way, they can maximise everything on the carcass and even make a broth out of the leftovers. One of the things we do in the shop as butchers is we utilise everything – the sustainability aspect of our business is very important, along with reducing waste,” she says.
The shop has got busier over the last few months because a neighbouring butchers closed down. Although Emily sees shops closing across the county, she is optimistic about the future.
“I know we will be good. We have our customer base, and I know that we will be able to keep up with trends.”
Keen to expand her knowledge, Emily has her eyes set on a finance and bookkeeping course in Teagasc next year. She also has aspirations to do a part-time marketing course in Dundalk Institute of Technology.
A large part of Christmas is enjoying high-quality food, and at the centre of our plate is often turkey and ham. That meat has been carefully cooked and tended to, making sure it is served up beautifully, but well before that stage is the hard work of farmers and butchers.
Aged 21, Emily Callaghan from Co Louth has just been named the first female to win the WorldSkills Ireland Craft Butchery competition. She is encouraging people to support their local butchers this Christmas to ‘help keep the traditional craft alive in Ireland’.
It’s well-known that local butchers across Ireland are facing many challenges with higher input costs and competition from supermarkets resulting in many of them having to close their doors.
In the 1990s, Ireland had 2,300 independent butchers and over 800 abattoirs. Now those figures have fallen considerably, with only 700 butchers and fewer than 150 abattoirs.
Speaking about sourcing your meat from a butcher, Emily says; “The quality of our meat, and how it is reared, along with the sustainability of it all [is the difference]. It’s cost-effective as well.
“Every time I hear someone saying they are going to the butchers, I think good on them.
“When you do support your butcher, you’re getting high-quality meat, hand-picked. If we don’t like the piece, it’ll be sent back, and we’ll get you a better one.”
Having recently completed the two-year National Craft Butchery Apprenticeship, Emily emphasises that supporting your local butcher can help keep the doors open.
“We have seen a large intake of apprentices going into their first year on the craft butcher apprenticeship, which is fantastic to see,” adds Emily.
Rooted in tradition
Emily is now a fifth-generation butcher who decided to earn while she learned after she started working in the family business alongside her dad Andrew, three years ago.
Callaghan’s Butchers in Bettystown is a farm-to-fork craft butcher, sourcing beef and lamb from family-run and local farms since 1906. Their beef is dry-aged for 21-28 days to enhance flavour and tenderness, and their homemade pork sausages, white and black pudding, have been recognised nationally, collectively voted best in Ireland six times.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school. I really didn’t want to go to college. I hated school, and I thought I would only end up dropping out if I went down the college route. I started looking up apprenticeships, and then I came across the National Craft Butchery Apprenticeship,” says Emily.
Having the option of working full-time in the shop while learning in a small class environment at the Teagasc Ashtown site every few weeks appealed to Emily.
Trade Skills winner 2025 Emmily Callaghan, butcher in Callaghan Bettystown, Co Meath. \ Barry Cronin
“Once I started the apprenticeship training, that’s when I started getting into the heavier cuts and the carcasses, which I picked up easily enough. The final leg of the apprenticeship was hard, but it was so worth it,” she explains.
“Growing up, I thought it was normal for girls to be butchers because, in my uncle Peter’s shop in Ardee, there were always women in the shop. My mam and sisters also worked in our shop. My great auntie Agnes was one of the first female butchers in Ireland, and I was the first female to win the butchering competition, so it was a full circle moment,” explains Emily.
She acknowledges there is a lack of representation of women across butchery in Ireland and at times, being a woman in the sector can be challenging, but completing her apprenticeship has helped with that.
“Now when I’m talking to customers, I know the science behind the meat composition like the fibres, proteins and fats, and the slaughtering process, so it’s easier to explain. I’d always noticed they’d be a bit hesitant with me serving them or they would ask for one of the lads. When I learned the theory parts and started speaking about it in the shop, I felt more confident serving them as I knew what I was talking about,” says Emily.
The aspect of it being a male-dominated industry did creep into Emily’s mind, but she didn’t let that stop her, and now she encourages other women interested in the meat industry to give butchering a go.
“I enjoy going to work. You can start your own business or go into the food industry; you can do anything you set your mind to,” she stresses
Emily and her father, Andrew, with her WorldSkills 2025 award in Callaghan's Butchers, Bettystown.
Mastering the craft
After months of training, Emily competed at the WorldSkills Ireland 2025 competition in September, while finishing the final stages of her apprenticeship.
“I spent four months practising and perfecting my cuts. On the first day, I was a nervous wreck, and I wore makeup, which was a bad decision. I was in the bathroom, taking it off with tissues. Then on the second and third day, that’s when I came away from it and realised it was so much fun. Friday was my favourite day, making everything look good and putting it into the display counter.
“Knife work, health and safety, along with hygiene were a big part of the judging. And how you were able to use your knife skills to branch outside of traditional butchery with innovative products,” she explains.
One of the techniques Emily showcased was spiralling. “This is flattening out your piece of meat and putting on a layer of stuffing, with spinach and red onion, then when you cut it, there is a big spiral going through the middle,” she explains.
Emily will now go on to represent Ireland on the world stage at the international World Skills competition in Shanghai in 2026.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have won. It’s an incredible honour to represent my family, my community, and Ireland, and I can’t wait for the challenge ahead in Shanghai.”
Emily was also shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year 2025, a national award covering all apprenticeship disciplines across Ireland. The title went to David Wren, a Mechanical Automation and Maintenance Fitter (MAMF) apprentice who works with Novo Nordisk Ireland.
“This recognition is not just a personal achievement; it’s a step forward towards greater diversity in our craft. I hope it inspires more women to pursue a profession in butchery,” says Emily.
Trade Skills winner 2025 Emmily Callaghan, butcher in Callaghan Bettystown, Co Meath. \ Barry Cronin
Trends among customers
With rising input costs, butchers are under a huge amount of pressure to keep their prices down amid tight profit margins and competition from the supermarkets.
“Last year was tough as people were angry with the increased prices on products, but now with rising prices everywhere, customers are more supportive and know they are getting a value-added product,” Emily says.
She has noticed that, in recent months, the cheaper cuts are more popular.
“The biggest trends I see is that during the summer, people were very into their American barbecue and briskets were flying out the door. I never would have sold them before. But fillet steaks, rib-eyes, and striploins are still very popular,” she says.
As consumers become more conscious of their fat and protein intake, Emily has also noticed they are looking for leaner cuts. She enjoys explaining to them the composition of meat and saturated fats.
“The ready-made meals prove very popular with our older customers who might be cooking for one or two, and along with this, people are looking for an easy cooking option,” she says.
At this time of the year, Emily tells her customers that they should look up a video of a turkey being carved.
“That way, they can maximise everything on the carcass and even make a broth out of the leftovers. One of the things we do in the shop as butchers is we utilise everything – the sustainability aspect of our business is very important, along with reducing waste,” she says.
The shop has got busier over the last few months because a neighbouring butchers closed down. Although Emily sees shops closing across the county, she is optimistic about the future.
“I know we will be good. We have our customer base, and I know that we will be able to keep up with trends.”
Keen to expand her knowledge, Emily has her eyes set on a finance and bookkeeping course in Teagasc next year. She also has aspirations to do a part-time marketing course in Dundalk Institute of Technology.
SHARING OPTIONS