This year, the Irish Hereford Breed Society moved to a new venue to stage its national calf show.
Central Auctions, Roscrea, played host to this year's event, with a fantastic display of over 80 Hereford stars of the future at the society's 11th national calf show.
Judge on the day was Basil Bothwell from Co Cavan, who had a tough job to adjudicate over 10 classes.
For his junior male champion, he went to the Drumm family in Co Westmeath for their January 2025 bull Crowenstown Rolex HH, which would go on to be crowned overall male champion.
Sired by Conmelvin Ollie, he is out of Grianan Orange A974, bred by Tom and Anselm Fitzgerald in Co Westmeath.
Breed improvement sire
Reserve junior male champion title was awarded to John and Liam O’Dwyer for their young bull Scarragh Rebel ET HH, which went on to stand as reserve overall male champion.
Rebel is sired by the society's breed improvement sire Karoonda Sampson and is out of the Gageboro Eugenic-bred cow Balleen Cece 781.
The senior male champion title went to September 2024-born Balleen Willdo HH. Bred in Co Kilkenny by Tom Brennan, he is sired by Balleen Getway and out of the Ballinveney United 2-bred dam Balleen Pansy 1266.
For his reserve senior male champion, Basil tapped out Kye Paul 070 HH from the herd of Padraig McGrath in Co Roscommon.
Paul 070 is a son of Balleen Flyer out of the Free Town Hotspur-sired cow Kye Holly 794. The same bull also took the honours in the dairy beef index (DBI) bull class, composed of the top DBI bulls in the show.
Heifers
On the female side, it was the turn of John Appelbe from Co Cork to take the glory in the senior and subsequently the supreme female championship with his heifer Appel Firecracker PP.
This stylish young heifer is sired by Fisher 1 Profile P456 PP and out of the Solpoll 1 Lawman daughter Appel 1 Daffy.
Senior female champion and supreme female champion Appel Firecracker PP, with breeder John Appelbe, judge Basil Bothwell and IHBS president Nigel Heatrick. \ Willie McElroy
Pushing her all the way to claim the reserve overall female championship was the reserve senior female champion Corlismore Prim 320 HH from the herd of Sean and Gary McKiernan in Co Cavan.
She is sired by the herd's former stock bull Shilo-Farm Dynamite F311 and out of the Corlismore Pompeii-sired cow Corlismore Prim 788.
Offaly breeder Jack Larkin took the honours in the junior heifer championship, with his January 2025-born heifer Corndarragh Ivy 20572 PP.
Ivy is bred from Fabb 1 Northern Star PP and the 2024 national show champion Hillockpoll 1 Ivy.
Reserve junior female champion went to Co Roscommon breeder John Mullooly, with Cloonfree Buttercup 2 HH. This young heifer is sired by the society's breed improvement sire Knockmountagh Cuchullain and out of the Gageboro Morgan-sired dam Cloonfree Jean.
Kathleen O’Reilly from Co Meath took the overall commercial champion title with her Barwise 1 Ricochet PP-sired calf Terence, while the reserve commercial champion of the show was awarded to John O’Heney from Co Tipperary for his FH William-sired calf.
Read all about the calf show in this week's Irish Farmers Journal.
This year, the Irish Hereford Breed Society moved to a new venue to stage its national calf show.
Central Auctions, Roscrea, played host to this year's event, with a fantastic display of over 80 Hereford stars of the future at the society's 11th national calf show.
Judge on the day was Basil Bothwell from Co Cavan, who had a tough job to adjudicate over 10 classes.
For his junior male champion, he went to the Drumm family in Co Westmeath for their January 2025 bull Crowenstown Rolex HH, which would go on to be crowned overall male champion.
Sired by Conmelvin Ollie, he is out of Grianan Orange A974, bred by Tom and Anselm Fitzgerald in Co Westmeath.
Breed improvement sire
Reserve junior male champion title was awarded to John and Liam O’Dwyer for their young bull Scarragh Rebel ET HH, which went on to stand as reserve overall male champion.
Rebel is sired by the society's breed improvement sire Karoonda Sampson and is out of the Gageboro Eugenic-bred cow Balleen Cece 781.
The senior male champion title went to September 2024-born Balleen Willdo HH. Bred in Co Kilkenny by Tom Brennan, he is sired by Balleen Getway and out of the Ballinveney United 2-bred dam Balleen Pansy 1266.
For his reserve senior male champion, Basil tapped out Kye Paul 070 HH from the herd of Padraig McGrath in Co Roscommon.
Paul 070 is a son of Balleen Flyer out of the Free Town Hotspur-sired cow Kye Holly 794. The same bull also took the honours in the dairy beef index (DBI) bull class, composed of the top DBI bulls in the show.
Heifers
On the female side, it was the turn of John Appelbe from Co Cork to take the glory in the senior and subsequently the supreme female championship with his heifer Appel Firecracker PP.
This stylish young heifer is sired by Fisher 1 Profile P456 PP and out of the Solpoll 1 Lawman daughter Appel 1 Daffy.
Senior female champion and supreme female champion Appel Firecracker PP, with breeder John Appelbe, judge Basil Bothwell and IHBS president Nigel Heatrick. \ Willie McElroy
Pushing her all the way to claim the reserve overall female championship was the reserve senior female champion Corlismore Prim 320 HH from the herd of Sean and Gary McKiernan in Co Cavan.
She is sired by the herd's former stock bull Shilo-Farm Dynamite F311 and out of the Corlismore Pompeii-sired cow Corlismore Prim 788.
Offaly breeder Jack Larkin took the honours in the junior heifer championship, with his January 2025-born heifer Corndarragh Ivy 20572 PP.
Ivy is bred from Fabb 1 Northern Star PP and the 2024 national show champion Hillockpoll 1 Ivy.
Reserve junior female champion went to Co Roscommon breeder John Mullooly, with Cloonfree Buttercup 2 HH. This young heifer is sired by the society's breed improvement sire Knockmountagh Cuchullain and out of the Gageboro Morgan-sired dam Cloonfree Jean.
Kathleen O’Reilly from Co Meath took the overall commercial champion title with her Barwise 1 Ricochet PP-sired calf Terence, while the reserve commercial champion of the show was awarded to John O’Heney from Co Tipperary for his FH William-sired calf.
Read all about the calf show in this week's Irish Farmers Journal.
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