Eleven-year-old Darragh O’Doherty from Mullagh in Co Clare is an avid Belgian Blue lover, young show man and lover or all things farming and machinery.

Darragh is a fifth class student and looks forward to getting home from school every day to help his dad Michael on the farm feeding young Friesian calves from the milking herd and looking after his favourites, the Belgian Blue calves.

Darragh got bitten by the show bug at a very young age when he started attending summer shows with his dad, his uncle Thomas and his cousins at just four years of age.

The following show season – when he was still only five – Darragh attended Charleville Show in Co Cork with his uncle Thomas, which is where he led an animal at a show for the first time. On his first trip around the show ring, Darragh placed third in the young stockperson class with a Charolais calf called Doughball.

Darragh and his father Michael at Darragh's first show in Charleville, Co. Cork.

Darragh’s uncle Thomas, known around the country as ‘Doc’s Blues’, established his Belgian Blue herd in 2012 and Darragh later followed suit, establishing his own herd of Darragh Doc’s Blue’s and Commercials in recent years.

Darragh told us that he really likes Belgian Blue cattle because “that’s what I grew up with and because they are really quiet” and expressed strong feelings that he would “never” change breeds.

Darragh’s favourite part of farming is playing with the young calves and going to shows.

Darragh pictured with the overall Belgian Blue champion at Trim Show 2022, with his uncle Thomas and sister Saoirse.

“I love haltering the calves and washing them and getting them ready for the show and I love clipping because I’m better than my dad at it,” Darragh laughed.

Shows

When we caught up with Darragh, we asked him how it felt the first time he showed an animal.

“I was a little bit nervous starting off, but I got used to it by practicing and going to loads of shows,” he said.

Darragh also told us that his favourite farming memory was his first show with his dad, adding that “he always wanted to know when was the next one (show).”

Darragh’s favourite animal is Lilly, a pedigree Belgian Blue heifer calf sired by Sherrif out of his uncle Thomas’ black and white show cow, Emer.

Darragh O’Doherty.

Shows are important to Darragh because they are “a lot of fun, I get to make lots of new friends and because I enjoy winning.” He says the hardest part of going to shows is “trying to halter the stubborn ones.”

When Darragh finishes school, he hopes to go to Pallaskenry Agricultural College to get his Green Cert so he can farm Belgian Blue cattle full time.

This young man is not afraid of hard work and loves watching or helping out when cows are calving, silage season and going to the mart.

However, he does take the occasional break from the farm to learn set dancing and to play football with his local club, Kilmurry Ibrickane.

Darragh is extremely excited for the 2023 summer show season and concluded by saying: “Showing cattle can be tough going, but you make great friends young and old for life.”