Running for over 30 years, Tullamore Show is continuing to grow bigger and better each year highlighting the very best of what Ireland’s livestock industry has to offer.
The show attracts visitors from all over the world and really does have something to offer everyone.
The 2023 FBD National Livestock Show will take place on Sunday 13 August at the Butterfield Estate and will feature over 1,000 classes with a massive prize fund of €175,000.
Tullamore Show held its annual show launch at Butterfield Estate in Blueball, Co Offaly, on Tuesday 2 February with members of the show committee, livestock committee and members of the FBD team all in attendance.
Each year, the show committee brings forward an animal for the launch by someone who has supported the show well throughout the years and this year it was decided by the livestock committee to invite William (Billy) Gubbins from the Cush Commercial and Pedigree herd in Kilfinane, Co Limerick.
Michael Dolan, head of commercial cattle and livestock chair of Tullamore Show, Eimear O'Byrne, FBD, Avril Gubbins, Chelsea Cox, Tullamore show secretary; Joe Molloy Tullamore Show chair; Billy Gubbins and Pat Gilligan, FBD, with Cush Smartie pictured at the 2023 Tullamore Show launch at Butterfield Estate, Blueball, Co. Offaly. The show takes place on Sunday August 13th 2023
William and Avril Gubbins with the Commercial champion and overall supreme interbreed champion at Limerick Show 2022.
Chelsea Cox, Tullamore Show secretary, said: “The Gubbins family have had many success stories at Tullamore Show from supreme champion in 1992 on their very first visit to the event and picked up the same title at the show in 2002 and 2012 as well as claiming red rosettes at the 2022 show.”
Billy and Avril Gubbins exhibiting their commercial heifer Jade at the Winter Fair in 2013.
Michael Dolan, chair of the livestock committee, told the Irish Farmers Journal that “Billy was selected to launch our 2023 show because he has been exhibiting at Tullamore Show since the very beginning.
He had the overall champion in 1992, 2002, 2012 and featured in the final commercial cattle line up at our 2022 show.
Billy Gubbins and his family in the final line up at Balmoral Show in 2017.
Avril Gubbins showing for Billy Gubbins, Kilfinane, Co Limerick, with Faith, the supreme champion at Tullamore Show 2012.
“Billy is regarded as a leading light in the commercial and pedigree cattle showing world and it was an honour to ask him to be involved in launching our show this year. Billy is very well respected in the industry among his peers and has been an ambassador for all that is good about showing cattle in Ireland and further afield.
“He has travelled the length and breadth of the country supporting shows big and small and has a helping hand or a word of advice for anyone who might need it.”
Bovine winners in the recent Hall of Fame Awards in Athlone: front, Michael Conway Kilrush, Irish Shorthorn Cattle Society, Martin McCullagh, Navan, Irish Limousin Cattle Society, Michael Yorke, Ballymahon, Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Society,Tom Joe Riordan Fermoy, Irish Simmental Cattle Society Society Brother Gerard Cahill, Marist Residence Athlone, Irish Holstein Friesian Association, Richard and Brid Duff, Portlaoise, Belgian Blue Cattle Breeding Society, Back L - R : Billy Gubbins, Kilfinane, Irish Charolais Cattle Society, Justin McCarthy, former Irish Farmers Journal editor, Oliver Flanagan, Irish Angus Cattle Society, Tom Fitzpatrick, Portlaoise, Salers, Cattle Society of Ireland, Michael Reynolds, Bornacoola, Irish Hereford Breed Society and Michael Flanagan CEO.
Billy shows commercial and pedigree cattle under the ‘Cush’ prefix alongside his wife, Avril, who has also been showing cattle since the 1980s and his step-children, Aidan and Shanon.
Billy took over the family farm from his father and, since then, has dedicated his whole life to breeding the best cattle that he possibly can ever since.
Supporting local shows from a young age exhibiting flowers with his mother, and later cattle, the Cush prefix has been synonymous with summer shows and fatstocks since he took to competing at local shows in 1971 and inevitably took to the national showing stage in 1981.
Billy and Avril Gubbins Kilfinane, Co Limerick in the Charolais tent at the Ploughing Championships 2012.
With many highlights including champions at the National Livestock Show in Tullamore, the spring show in the RDS, Balmoral Show, his home show in Limerick and of course, shows all over the country – Billy hit a record number of championship titles on the 2022 show circuit claiming his 550th championship rosette.
Billy and Avril Gubbins Kilfinane, Co Limerick in the Charolais tent at the Ploughing Championships 2012.
Averaging 35 summer shows a year, his dedication has been rewarded with a number of accolades including three Hall of Fame awards.
In 2007, Gubbins won the Irish Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Society Hall of Fame Award at the annual Hall of Fame awards, which take place in Athlone each year.
He was also nominated by the Irish Charolais Cattle Society in 2011 and the commercial cattle exhibitors society again for the national award in 2012.
The Irish Farmers Journal asked Billy why he has continued to show cattle all these years and his answer was brief but honest. “It’s a drug, and I am an addict.”
Selling Simmental bulls to AI in Ireland and Sweden, collecting those 550 championship titles and travelling hundreds of thousands of miles over the past 50 years, Billy is regarded as one of the top showmen in the country and his success is nothing short of remarkable.
Billy being a man of very few words, couldn’t choose one particular achievement that stood out the most, but concluded by saying “we’ve had great days travelling to shows all over the country. There have been so many highlights, it wouldn’t be possible to pick just one. We’ve had some super days at the top but you could be down with a bang the next day out and we just keep driving on for the next day”.
Tullamore Show wins
1992: Billy won Tullamore Show with a Charolais-cross Belgian Blue bullock sired by CF52 called Ceaser. Throughout Ceaser’s career he picked up 30 first prizes and 10 championships.
2002: Billy won Tullamore Show with another Charolais-cross Belgian Blue sired by CF52, this time with a heifer called Shelly.
Shelly only had one year of showing because she was born during the foot-and-mouth outbreak but in that year attended 15 shows and scooped 24 first prizes and 13 championships having only been beaten twice.
Aidan Kinahan, Frank Burke, Billy Gubbins, Aisling Burke, Shanon Kinahan and Avril Gubbins pictured with the pairs champion at Iverk Show 2022.
2012: Billy took his third supreme championship in Tullamore with a Charolais heifer called Faith. Faith was sired by Fury Action out of a Charolais-cross cow and scooped a whopping 35 firsts and 19 championships in her showing career.
Running for over 30 years, Tullamore Show is continuing to grow bigger and better each year highlighting the very best of what Ireland’s livestock industry has to offer.
The show attracts visitors from all over the world and really does have something to offer everyone.
The 2023 FBD National Livestock Show will take place on Sunday 13 August at the Butterfield Estate and will feature over 1,000 classes with a massive prize fund of €175,000.
Tullamore Show held its annual show launch at Butterfield Estate in Blueball, Co Offaly, on Tuesday 2 February with members of the show committee, livestock committee and members of the FBD team all in attendance.
Each year, the show committee brings forward an animal for the launch by someone who has supported the show well throughout the years and this year it was decided by the livestock committee to invite William (Billy) Gubbins from the Cush Commercial and Pedigree herd in Kilfinane, Co Limerick.
Michael Dolan, head of commercial cattle and livestock chair of Tullamore Show, Eimear O'Byrne, FBD, Avril Gubbins, Chelsea Cox, Tullamore show secretary; Joe Molloy Tullamore Show chair; Billy Gubbins and Pat Gilligan, FBD, with Cush Smartie pictured at the 2023 Tullamore Show launch at Butterfield Estate, Blueball, Co. Offaly. The show takes place on Sunday August 13th 2023
William and Avril Gubbins with the Commercial champion and overall supreme interbreed champion at Limerick Show 2022.
Chelsea Cox, Tullamore Show secretary, said: “The Gubbins family have had many success stories at Tullamore Show from supreme champion in 1992 on their very first visit to the event and picked up the same title at the show in 2002 and 2012 as well as claiming red rosettes at the 2022 show.”
Billy and Avril Gubbins exhibiting their commercial heifer Jade at the Winter Fair in 2013.
Michael Dolan, chair of the livestock committee, told the Irish Farmers Journal that “Billy was selected to launch our 2023 show because he has been exhibiting at Tullamore Show since the very beginning.
He had the overall champion in 1992, 2002, 2012 and featured in the final commercial cattle line up at our 2022 show.
Billy Gubbins and his family in the final line up at Balmoral Show in 2017.
Avril Gubbins showing for Billy Gubbins, Kilfinane, Co Limerick, with Faith, the supreme champion at Tullamore Show 2012.
“Billy is regarded as a leading light in the commercial and pedigree cattle showing world and it was an honour to ask him to be involved in launching our show this year. Billy is very well respected in the industry among his peers and has been an ambassador for all that is good about showing cattle in Ireland and further afield.
“He has travelled the length and breadth of the country supporting shows big and small and has a helping hand or a word of advice for anyone who might need it.”
Bovine winners in the recent Hall of Fame Awards in Athlone: front, Michael Conway Kilrush, Irish Shorthorn Cattle Society, Martin McCullagh, Navan, Irish Limousin Cattle Society, Michael Yorke, Ballymahon, Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Society,Tom Joe Riordan Fermoy, Irish Simmental Cattle Society Society Brother Gerard Cahill, Marist Residence Athlone, Irish Holstein Friesian Association, Richard and Brid Duff, Portlaoise, Belgian Blue Cattle Breeding Society, Back L - R : Billy Gubbins, Kilfinane, Irish Charolais Cattle Society, Justin McCarthy, former Irish Farmers Journal editor, Oliver Flanagan, Irish Angus Cattle Society, Tom Fitzpatrick, Portlaoise, Salers, Cattle Society of Ireland, Michael Reynolds, Bornacoola, Irish Hereford Breed Society and Michael Flanagan CEO.
Billy shows commercial and pedigree cattle under the ‘Cush’ prefix alongside his wife, Avril, who has also been showing cattle since the 1980s and his step-children, Aidan and Shanon.
Billy took over the family farm from his father and, since then, has dedicated his whole life to breeding the best cattle that he possibly can ever since.
Supporting local shows from a young age exhibiting flowers with his mother, and later cattle, the Cush prefix has been synonymous with summer shows and fatstocks since he took to competing at local shows in 1971 and inevitably took to the national showing stage in 1981.
Billy and Avril Gubbins Kilfinane, Co Limerick in the Charolais tent at the Ploughing Championships 2012.
With many highlights including champions at the National Livestock Show in Tullamore, the spring show in the RDS, Balmoral Show, his home show in Limerick and of course, shows all over the country – Billy hit a record number of championship titles on the 2022 show circuit claiming his 550th championship rosette.
Billy and Avril Gubbins Kilfinane, Co Limerick in the Charolais tent at the Ploughing Championships 2012.
Averaging 35 summer shows a year, his dedication has been rewarded with a number of accolades including three Hall of Fame awards.
In 2007, Gubbins won the Irish Commercial Cattle Exhibitors Society Hall of Fame Award at the annual Hall of Fame awards, which take place in Athlone each year.
He was also nominated by the Irish Charolais Cattle Society in 2011 and the commercial cattle exhibitors society again for the national award in 2012.
The Irish Farmers Journal asked Billy why he has continued to show cattle all these years and his answer was brief but honest. “It’s a drug, and I am an addict.”
Selling Simmental bulls to AI in Ireland and Sweden, collecting those 550 championship titles and travelling hundreds of thousands of miles over the past 50 years, Billy is regarded as one of the top showmen in the country and his success is nothing short of remarkable.
Billy being a man of very few words, couldn’t choose one particular achievement that stood out the most, but concluded by saying “we’ve had great days travelling to shows all over the country. There have been so many highlights, it wouldn’t be possible to pick just one. We’ve had some super days at the top but you could be down with a bang the next day out and we just keep driving on for the next day”.
Tullamore Show wins
1992: Billy won Tullamore Show with a Charolais-cross Belgian Blue bullock sired by CF52 called Ceaser. Throughout Ceaser’s career he picked up 30 first prizes and 10 championships.
2002: Billy won Tullamore Show with another Charolais-cross Belgian Blue sired by CF52, this time with a heifer called Shelly.
Shelly only had one year of showing because she was born during the foot-and-mouth outbreak but in that year attended 15 shows and scooped 24 first prizes and 13 championships having only been beaten twice.
Aidan Kinahan, Frank Burke, Billy Gubbins, Aisling Burke, Shanon Kinahan and Avril Gubbins pictured with the pairs champion at Iverk Show 2022.
2012: Billy took his third supreme championship in Tullamore with a Charolais heifer called Faith. Faith was sired by Fury Action out of a Charolais-cross cow and scooped a whopping 35 firsts and 19 championships in her showing career.
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