Year in review: showing season success

The benefits of last year’s early Christmas present of an €812,000 investment package from the Government were clearly evident during the 2018 showing season.

Add in the summer heatwave and there was a real retro feel to many shows, with families and picnic baskets out in force. Minister Michael Ring, who launched the Irish Shows Association (ISA) yearbook this year, also proffered another lifeline this year with news in August of a further €600,000 package for 2019.

Of course, the ‘other Michael’ was the talking point this year as the clock ticked down to the ISA national secretary Michael Hughes’ retirement.

The cornerstone of the association at regional and national level for the past 20 years, he officially bowed out at its AGM in Newry, where Monaghan farmer Jim Harrison took up the reins.

The new ISA secretary is on a mission to involve more young people on show committees and has urged shows to add at least two new committee members in 2019.

Enlarging the panel of ISA All Ireland final judges and judges confining themselves to half-a-dozen judging engagements each year were suggestions from the floor at the AGM, where ISA president David Sheehan also strongly rebuked exhibitors who abused judges and fellow exhibitors.

Busy season

Horse and pony exhibitors had a lengthy agricultural show season, beginning with the May Bank Holiday weekend fixtures of Newmarket-on-Fergus and Thomastown and ending with Ballinasloe, back again on the calendar. Slotted in between 130 ISA-affiliated shows were Balmoral, Clifden and Dublin, before the focus changed to Irish-bred fortunes at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) in Stoneleigh.

The Sean Jones-bred Viewpoint successfully defended his HOYS hunter crown, while Robbie Fallon’s disrupted travel plans didn’t deter him from seeing his homebred Cashelbay Rocket win the Connemara class.

Neither the Croker Cup nor All Ireland Irish Draught stallion final were held for a third year, due to lack of entries. However, Sean Barker’s Gortfree Hero had a treble in the Irish Draught stallion class at Dublin where his son Gortfree Lakeside Lad won the Draught performance championship. The same stallion was also awarded the Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) breeders award for the second successive year.

The HSI awards made a fitting move to the successful Breeders Conference in Kildare, where the other showing award recipients were Eddie Murphy for his Irish Draught mare, Holycross Grace, by Holycross. Making a welcome return was the sport horse mare category, won by another prolific homebred winner in PJ Lehane’s PJ’s Delight, by Lux Z while Michael Hughes picked up another award with his Lifetime Achievement accolade.

HSI also ramped up the prize money for their young handlers final, hosted at the National Ploughing Championships, where Lorcan Glynn and Katie Dineen won the senior and junior categories.

Small number of entries, particularly in the young horse classes, buyers finding it hard to buy correct types and the quest to attract young blood amongst committees, exhibitors and judging panels continue to be issues. Expect to see shows switch dates and days in the effort to attract footfall.

Farewells

In 2018, we bade farewell to that great Irish Draught supporter, Chantal Deon and Paddy Dunning; judges Des Barnwell, Gerry Judge and Countess April Merveldt; Colm Costello, the keen Connemara exhibitor from Leitrim; Mary Quirke, who showed broodmares and foals with her father Paddy and most recently two RDS stalwarts in Harold McGahern and Mrs Laidlaw, whose family cup is presented to the Dublin young horse champion.

An equine loss to the show world was Kings Master. It would be easier to list the All Ireland and RDS titles his progeny haven’t won and the titles continued in 2018 with his lovely Ballarin My Lady winning the Dublin hunter mare championship for Nicola Perrin.

Another highlight was the pair’s lap of honour in the Dublin main arena and another was Dessie Gibson’s Balmoral-Dublin young horse championship double. Kicked by a pony at a show before Dublin, Gibson still went on to record a Laidlaw champion and reserve with Greenhall Treasure Island and Aidensfield Candy Boy, plus the leading exhibitor award.

Last year’s winner Barryroe again delivered a memorable show and joins the likes of Bannow & Rathangan and Charleville in putting on consistently A-rated shows. Clarecastle, in its third year, was another excellent show with even more potential under the direction of dynamo Michael Slattery.

This midlands show is another to have made the brave move of moving from its traditional date and venue and epitomised a traditional agricultural show. No late entries accepted, a complete catalogue provided and another of the unsung heroes of the show world in its hugely capable secretary, Bernie Whyte. Congratulations, Longford County Show & Country Fair.

The year of Michael

“Over the last two years, I have allocated over €1.4 million to agricultural shows in an effort to support these vital rural community events. I was at a lot of shows during the summer and it was great to see the impact that this funding has had. Agricultural shows are a valuable and much loved part of rural culture and Michael has helped keep this wonderful tradition alive. For that, we owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Michael Ring, Minister for Rural and Community Development.

“What I would say about Michael Hughes is: look around you. This is the legacy of Michael, Charleville and all the other shows in the Association. They are a fantastic showcase for the Irish agri-food industry to reach out to the broader urban communities to show what we’re all about.”

Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, at Charleville Show.

“I love meeting people from the four corners of Ireland and from Ballymoney to Bantry, Bannow & Rathangan to Inishowen, I have made wonderful friends in every corner of Ireland.” Michael Hughes.