With up to 2,200 livestock on site, Tullamore Show presents a wonderful opportunity to get an overview of some of the top cattle and sheep in Ireland. It is undoubtedly the biggest exhibition of cattle and sheep in the country.

Dairy

Entries in the dairy section are up 10% on last year, according to Tommy Finlay, head of the category. Encompassing the Holstein, Shorthorn and Jersey breeds, 210 cattle have been catalogued for entry. Indeed, more than 70 animals have been entered in the shorthorn section alone. It’s understood that a number of exhibitors will be showing for the first time, while some exhibitors who haven’t shown at Tullamore for a few years will be returning to the show ring.

While there is no change in classes, two of the bigger championships include the Super €2,500 National Holstein heifer in-milk championship and the €2,500 AIB National Livestock Show senior cow-in-milk class, both of which always attract some of the top Holstein cattle in the country. Two rings will operate concurrently and it’s understood that all the judges in the dairy section are Irish. Judging kicks off at 10am.

Sheep

More than 600 sheep across 13 breeds, including commercials, will be presented at the show. Head of section Peter Donohoe reports that entries are on a par with last year and while there are no new breeds debuting, space is at a premium.

The Lleyn Sheep Society will stage its All-Ireland finals at Tullamore, while each of the Galway Sheep classes is expected to feature up to eight animals.

One of the hotly contested classes in the commercials is the pair of factory lambs, which carries a first prize of €140. Up to 18 children have entered for the young sheep handlers’ class, where the winner will take home a top prize of €75.

Four sheep rings will run concurrently and the judging starts at 11am. It’s understood that among the judging panel are four from Northern Ireland, one from the Isle of Man and one from Wales.

It will be a busy day for the stewards and judges as 68 classes have to be judged. Sheep breeds competing include Texel, Vendeen, Suffolk, Charollais, Rouge de l’Quest, Galway, Beltex, Jacob, Belclare, Lleyn, Zwartbles, Border Leicester and commercials.

Commercials

The commercial section never seems to disappoint and 2015 is gearing up to be no different, with a record number of entries catalogued. Organisers Michael Dolan and Cecil Cox report that entries are up 25% on last year, bringing the total to 385 cattle. Large numbers are especially evident in the Dawn Meats €2,000 factory heifer competition, with 27 entries.

The Kepak championship for the beef factory animal of the future will certainly keep the judge on his toes, with a total of 39 entries, while the baby beef heifer class will have 34 entries. The other biggie is the Moyvalley Meats €2,000 commercial factory bullock championship, which will play host to 14 cattle. The best female calf class (251kg-385kg) will feature 21 entries.

The calf classes are just as popular, with 18 calves catalogued for the best Belgian Blue cross heifer calf class, while 16 calves have been entered for the best Charolais cross calf in the ring. Those with Limousin cross calves will be vying for the generous €1,000 prize fund that is available for the best Limousin cross heifer class (15 entries) and the Limousin cross bull class (10 entries). Both classes have a top prize of €400.

In the young handlers classes (26 entries in total), a top prize of €100 will be up for grabs in both the 12- to 16-year-old class and the 17- to 26-year-old category.

The commercial section carries a total prize fund of €15,500 and always attracts a huge number of spectators – sometimes three deep – around the rings.

First prize winners in each class will each receive a specially commissioned medallion and the prestigious first-place rosette.

A number of new faces are set to compete in the commercial ring for the first time. Michael tells me that there will be 15 new competitors this year and perhaps they might be as successful as Simon O’Connor from Co Kerry.

Simon made his debut in the commercial ring in 2014 and took home two first prizes – one in the butcher’s heifer class and the other in a calf class. Two rings will operate concurrently throughout the day with the judging scheduled to kick off at 10am.

Over 1,000 pedigree cattle entered

The best of 15 breeds of pedigree cattle will be exhibited in 130 classes at Tullamore.With record entry numbers of 1,005, the show will play host to the national show for the Limousin, Hereford and Simmental societies.

This year has seen a huge increase in numbers, ensuring that classes will be even more hotly contested then previous years. Charolais entries are up to 163, up 20 from last year.

There are 160 Hereford entries, up 30, 159 Simmental entries, up 20, 125 Limousin entries (excluding pairs) and 100 Belgian Blue entries, up 30.

Judges from France, Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will all be put through their paces in selecting their prize winners in each class, with up to 17 exhibitors in many of the sections.

Breeders and societies

Spectators will include breeders and society members from Canada, Uruguay, France, the US, Italy and China, who will all be keen to see what the Irish pedigree sector has to offer.

This year will see the first ever exhibition of Piemontese cattle. Originally from the region of Piedmont in Northern Italy, Piemontese cattle arrived in Ireland in the 1980s. Recent years have seen membership in the Piemontese society double, and now the society will be given the opportunity to showcase the breed in Ireland’s largest shop window for show cattle.

In the pedigree rare breed section, The Irish Mollied Cattle Society will see exhibitors travelling from all corners of the country including Donegal, Wexford and Dingle, Co Kerry. This native Irish dual-purpose breed will generate a lot of interest and an exciting competition.

Six breeds will host classes for young handlers. These classes encourage young people to learn the art of showing cattle, and receive recognition for their hard work throughout the year at shows.

Maeve Regan

Record Simmental entry of 159

The 22nd national Simmental show takes place in Tullamore, with record entry numbers. There will be 159 entries of pedigree Simmental cattle on show, 20 more than last year, and breeders will face stiff competition.

Thirteen national titles are up for grabs in the weanling, yearling, junior and senior classes in both the male and female sections. As well as receiving a national title, the national senior heifer champion will be presented with the Jenna Stone Perpetual Trophy. National title classes also include junior cow, senior cow and the national junior and senior pairs. National title winners will be displayed at the Ploughing Championships in September.

The Young Irish Simmental Association (YISA) showcases the Simmental breeders of the future, competing to be crowned Simmental young handler of the year. This competition is divided into a junior and senior section open to all young handlers between 12 and 21 years.

Maeve Regan