This past week was a hectic one for the Kilsunny Herd. It was our final week on the summer show circuit for this year and we definitely made the most of it, as we exhibited cattle at Cappamore, Mohill, Bansha, Moate and Limerick Show over the space of just eight days.

The end of the show season is always bittersweet – we definitely enjoy each event - but after showing almost constantly every weekend since early May a break is definitely needed by exhibitors and cattle alike!

Limerick Show was held last Sunday and is one of the best shows in Munster and a great place to finish up our show season for the year. It is also the host of the Munster Hereford Bull and Female of the Year finals, which is one of the highlights of our showing calendar and is hotly contested by fellow Hereford breeders in the region. The competition always attracts a large entry of the area’s best cattle and is one of the main attractions of the show.

Our Hereford heifer was one of the favorites for the Junior Heifer of the Year title as she had been a first prize winner at many of the qualifying shows over the previous few months. As I was tasked with looking after her, I hardly left the cattle section the entire day and I was determined to make sure that she was looking her best for judging. It is always very exciting exhibiting at a major show, especially at a regional final.

The day was quite wet so it was a constant battle against the elements to keep the heifer dry and looking good for the start of the judging. Eventually, it was my heifer’s turn to be judged. We were in a tough class with some top quality heifers and I was thrilled when I was put into first position. She went on to be crowned Munster Junior Heifer of the Year and later the Supreme Hereford Champion of the show, beating bulls, heifers and cows of all ages to win the title. I was absolutely delighted. As it was our last show of the year, capping the season off with a big title like that made all our hard work, early mornings and long journeys worthwhile.

We also exhibited some Angus cattle on the day and although it was a bit hectic showing two different breeds at once, we were successful in winning first prize with our Angus heifer. All in all, it was a great day out; despite the difficult weather conditions and we couldn’t ask for a better end to the 2014 show campaign. It was definitely a year to remember, we exhibited at 18 different shows right across the country and won close to 40 1st prizes for the entire season. Now its back to the normal farming routine – we won’t know what to do with ourselves come next Sunday morning!