If anyone knows how to win a National Charolais title, it’s Niall and Brendan Canning from Rosses Point in Co Sligo. On Sunday 10 August, the father-and-son duo went and claimed yet another National Charolais title at the FBD National Livestock Show in Tullamore, with their September 2024-born heifer, Sagesse Vera ET.

Sired by Goldstar Echo and out of the Thrunton Bonjovi daughter Portnason Hermione, Vera is a full ET sister of Crossane4 Niamh, which won the supreme champion at Tullamore in 2019 for the McGovern brothers from Fivemilebourne in Co Leitrim.

“A fantastic young heifer, exceptionally well presented,” is how judge Sean McGovern described Vera, as he awarded her senior female calf champion, before himself and Medwyn Williams from Wales, who oversaw the male judging, crowned her overall champion of the show.

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Premier County

Taking the reserve overall championship was the reserve senior female calf champion, Knockinroe 16 Alice ET, from Declan Bourke in Co Tipperary. Born in January 2025, Alice is a daughter of the former Paris champion Neptune and one of the Goldstar herd’s donor cows, Goldstar Shirley Temple ET.

Overall senior champion of the show also went to the Premier County in the form of Goldstar Irene. Sired by Flambeau and out of the French-bred cow Belladonne, Irene was exhibited by Martin Ryan and family from Thurles in Co Tipperary.

Junior females

The Ryan family also claimed the junior female calf champion with Goldstar Adorable, a five-month-old daughter of the leading stock bull at Gaec Micaud’s in France, Nevers and Goldstar Irene.

Clonmahon Vadim ET owned by Eddie Daly in Summerhill, Co Meath, was the Welsh man’s pick for the senior male calf championship. This powerful September 2024-born bull is a son of Neptune and Leagaun Galway.

Concluding the round up of championships was Liscally Abracadabra for Jon Regan from Castlegal in Co Leitrim. Sired by the great Ocean and out of the homebred dam Liscally Pretty Polly 3 ET, this January 2025-born calf resisted the challenge of some promising young bulls to win the junior male calf championship.