Irish Farmerette goes to the Tullamore Show

We were thinking of going to the Tullamore Show last Sunday and when we won tickets from Agriland, that decided it. We tend to go to it every 2 or 3 years, it is one of the biggest agricultural shows in the country and this year was no exception as it drew in over 60,000 people.

The weather was fine, the cancelled event of 2009 was a distant memory as people milled there wearing ordinary runners and shoes with no mud to be seen.

Judging of Holstein Friesiens

We enjoyed watching the judging of the animals – I’m amused by the different dress codes. Those entering the Holstein competitions are the smartest – in white shirts with white trousers.

Judging Herefords at Tullamore Show

The beef animal handlers tend to wear a white shirt or coat but the jeans are much more casual and some of the beef handlers have a uniform shirt for that particular breed.

Tullamore ShowSheep Judging

The sheep handlers were the most casual of all with builders bums appearing all over the place if the ewes started to struggle!

There was a little 5 year old girl walking behind a fine Belgian Blue calf as he went around the ring and we saw them again as they were walking from the Champions enclosure at 6pm, she had left home at 6am that morning with her father and she was still just about standing. Great to see such enthusiasm in someone so young.

I’m always impressed too at the docility of the huge bulls – I’m not so sure how relaxed I’d be to be leading a guy this size.

Tullamore Show Winner

The care and attention given to ensure these animals are clean, polished, blow-dryed and up to standing under a judge’s scrutiny is something else. ?As someone who rarely blowdries my hair, it never ceases to amaze me.

Getting a blowdry

It’s funny too watching handlers standing behind the Holsteins with buckets as they line up to go into the ring – cows aren’t toilet trained and the buckets are there just in case one of them decides she can’t wait any longer.

Holstein Friesiens

The size of the well oiled udders on the Holsteins are something else. The discomfort they must be experiencing as they wait to be milked reminded me of my own lactating days and a day away from my 2 month old son!

Sheepdog Trials

I also love watching collies working sheep or seeing them do tricks over obstacle courses. We went around the tents then, pausing to admit some worthy vegetables.

Vegetables at  Tullamore Show

Speaking to the runner up, he was telling us that it was his grandfather’s enthusiasm for growing veg when he retired that got him started. His grandfather is now 90 and both of them grow vegetables and enter them in a variety of shows. Isn’t that a lovely way to spend your retirement?

Tullamore Show

We didn’t get to see it all – we missed the Vintage machinery and the Innovation centre, although we did see a demonstration of a robotic Lely milking machine.

All in all, a very good day out and it was home at 8pm for Brian to do the milking and for me to launch into the last round of checking blog nominations before we published the long lists! No rest for the wicked.

4 thoughts on “Irish Farmerette goes to the Tullamore Show

  • tric

    Good friends of mine are farmers. I remember their kids used to love to get off school to go to the ploughing championships each year. It really is another world when you go there as a non farming family. I often took my crew to the Cork Summer Show. This post brought me back. I had never imagined seeing anyone blow drying a cow!

    Reply
    • Lorna

      It was the standing behind them with a bucket in case they dirtied themselves that I was really amused at 🙂
      Yes, our kids get a day off every year to go to the Ploughing – most of the kids in our rural school end up going. Huge disruption for the teachers I’d imagine

      Reply
  • Rich

    I love ag shows. The ones around here tend to be heavy on the horses and light on the rest of the animals. Plenty of veg and baking competitions, though.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to tric Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>