Strokestown ready to put on a great show
Pictured at the Strokestown Show launch in the Percy French were Show Chairperson John O'Beirne, John McMahon, James Duke, Paul Fahy and Tommy Gormley, Roscommon Charolais Society. Pic. Michelle Hughes Walsh
Strokestown Agricultural Show, which gets underway today, Saturday, September 14th, has an incredible line up and an eye catching €80,000 in total prize money. The show will take place on the grounds of Strokestown Park House.
One of the main sections of the show is the cattle section, which is set to be as competitive and popular as ever.
In this section, the Sweeney family has generously sponsored the All-Ireland Beef Bullock Final to the value of €6,000. The Sweeney family also sponsors the Breeding Heifer Class to the value of €2,000. Greenvale Animal Feeds sponsors the All-Ireland Beef Heifer Final to the value of €3,000.
“Greenvale has sponsored the All-Ireland Beef Heifer Final for I’d say 25 or 30 years,” said show chairman John O’Beirne.
Mr O’Beirne also said that Percy Hanly and the Hanly family had been sponsoring the All-Ireland calf classes for a long number of years, and he thanked Mr Hanly for his generous sponsorship.
“With sponsors like that, the show is blessed,” Mr O’Beirne said.
He also thanked the many breed societies that attend the show, highlighting that the Pedigree Angus section has a total prize fund of €13,000.
He also welcomed the show’s many breed societies to the launch, which included the Charolais Society, Hereford Charolais, the Shorthorn Society and the Angus Society.
“We have had the All-Ireland Angus finals here for a long number of years,” he said. He added that the Irish Simmental All-Ireland finals will also be held at the Strokestown Show this year.
“We have a serious show of Simmental cattle here. We cater for every breed, we cater for every society,” he said, adding that the show was delighted to host the societies' finals.
The Breeder’s Choice class is open to all traditional genotype 4* or 5* breeding heifers, suitable to make a suckler cow. This is sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and Minister Charlie McConalogue.
In the sheep section, Mr O’Beirne said there is a new class for the Roscommon Sheep Breeders Society.
“There is a serious amount of work involved in getting this show up and running," said Mr O'Beirne.
He thanked the show’s hardworking, efficient, and “great” committee. Starting in 1867, the show has run every year since then, bar two years during the pandemic.
“We always boasted that we were the only show that ran continuously for 150 years. It’s first chairman was Percy French’s father. There’s history within history there. We have the original schedule that was printed in 1867 and we got it reprinted. That is thanks to David McMahon. He located it, his mother had it as it had come down through the generations fully intact," said Mr O'Beirne.
