Simmental and Hereford breeders have once again renewed their interest in the Blueball showgrounds for 2017, while Charolais and Limousin breeders have also made commitments. These four finals alone contribute nearly €37,000 in prize money to the show.

Charolais

This is the first year the National Charolais Show will be held at the Tullamore Livestock Show and it is set to be one of the biggest showcases of Charolais there has been in recent years.

There are 22 pedigree Charolais classes and six championships. The total prize fund for the pedigree Charolais classes is €13,500, making it the biggest of any pedigree cattle breed.

There are over 180 pedigree Charolais catalogued for the day, so competition throughout the classes is expected to be fierce.

To accommodate the considerable number of classes, there will be two judging rings running side by side.

Roy Milne from the well-known Elgin herd in Morayshire, Scotland, will take care of the male judging in ring one, while Tracey Nicolls, farm manager at Major Walter’s renowned Balthayock herd in Perthshire, Scotland, will take on the task of judging the females in ring two.

Both judges come from world-renowned Charolais herds, who consistently produce cattle that top UK shows and sales.

The judges will be joined by two young junior judges, who won the national stock judging competitions at the recent Irish Charolais Cattle Society YDP open days in Lisnagre and Bostonia.

Jonathan Higgins from Skreen, Co Sligo, will join Roy in ring one, while Michael Grant from Buncrana, Co Donegal, will accompany Tracey in ring two.

As an added attraction this year, there are three new commercial Charolais classes sponsored by the Irish Charolais Cattle Society. Best Charolais-cross male under 425kg, best Charolais-cross female under 385kg, and best Charolais-cross heifer or bullock with no more than two permanent teeth. The prize fund for these three classes alone is €3,800.

Last year’s champion Goldstar Elle will be looking to claim the Charolais championship for the third year in a row for breeder Martin Ryan from Thurles, Co Tipperary. The prolific show cow, who turned eight in April, is a daughter of the French sire Caramel.

Limousin

While the Limousin cattle society’s national finals usually take place at Tullamore Show, in 2016 they were moved to Kilkenny to coincide with the International Limousin Congress which was hosted by Ireland.

The 28th National Limousin Show however is back at Tullamore showgrounds next week. Last year, Baileys Ice Princess, from the Connell brothers in Oldcastle, went on to claim the overall breed champion at Tullamore for the second year running before clinching the national in Kilkenny two weeks later.

This year sees 26 classes scheduled on the day, with over 100 animals looking to take home the title.

Tasked with the judging responsibilities is a young lady from the Isle of Man, Kiree Kermode. Kiree, who is of the Orrisdale Limousin herd and Texel flock situated in Ballasalla, has already had the privilege of judging the 2015 October premier Roscrea sale.

Kiree has a keen eye for stock, having been a member of a winning team at the 2011 Anglo Irish YMA team and also having the honour of capturing the individual title at the same event.

This year’s prize fund has tallied up to nearly €8,000 in pedigrees alone, with a further €2,000 going for the breed in commercial classes.

Hereford

Hereford breeders throughout the country will again be descending on the Blueball site for the society’s National finals.

Matthew Goulding took home the supreme championship at last year’s nationals with the stylish first-calver Gouldingpoll 1 Duchess 591.

She faces a tough challenge this year to regain her title, with a further 30 animals entered on 2016 levels, meaning over 170 Herefords will compete on the day for a prize fund of over €8,000.

Travelling the furthest distance of anyone at the show is Hereford judge Don Robbie from the Otapawa Hereford herd in New Zealand. His wife Marlene, who joins him on his visit to Ireland, will judge the two young handler competitions.

Don is an experienced and widely travelled international Hereford judge who carries with him a wide experience of commercial farming in the tough environment that exists in the southeast of New Zealand’s North Island.

He has judged widely within New Zealand and Australia as well as judging the Scottish National Show and the Royal Highland.

The society expects young Hereford breed enthusiasts to be out in force, as this year sees the launch of a new junior handler class. Winner of this class will be the first to receive a specially commissioned trophy, presented in memory of the late Denis Collins of the Templeglantine herd who officiated as chief steward at the show for more than 20 years.

Ages for the senior handling class have also widened, meaning young people up to the age of 21 can now enter.

The hotly contested national Hereford of the year competition this year gained sponsorship from the Canadian Bull Congress. This is a programme designed to promote top-quality bulls and attributes that each of the breeds have to offer.

The Canadian Bull Congress is an affiliate member of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council and has participated in trade missions to the UK and Ireland.

In 2008, the Canadian Bull Congress proudly hosted a delegation from Ireland, including members of the Tullamore Show, among others.

Simmental

Finishing off the packed schedule of finals at the show is the Simmental breed, which this year is hosting its 24th national show. This busy day for Simmentals will feature 12 national Simmental classes plus another four calf classes for younger animals. In total, there is a prize fund of over €7,000 to be competed for throughout the day.

Last year saw a record entry of 163 Simmental animals and indications from numbers attending shows so far this year are that this is set to rise further. This level of entry will ensure that all classes are keenly contested in all categories.

Neil McIlwaine from the famous Corrick herd in Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone, is the person given the task of judging this year’s competition. He follows in his father Cecil’s footsteps who judged the national Simmental show at Tullamore in 2005.

Proceedings will commence with two classes for young members which are following on from a very successful national young members competition which took place in early July.