Talk of the Déise dominates agricultural show

EVEN the row over Brazilian beef imports had to give way to talk about Sunday’s hurling clash between Waterford and Cork among the chattering classes at Dungarvan Agricultural Show yesterday.

The game dominated all talk at the 91st show, where the secretary Donna Coady reported entries of 200 horses, 110 cattle and 100 sheep.

Waterford flags fluttered from houses and cars while bunting in the team colours spanned streets across the county, as exhibitors and patrons headed for the show grounds, where sponsor badges were even in blue and white.

But the rosettes presented to some of the successful exhibitors in the cattle and horse classes provided Cork supporters with omens of hope — those for first prize winners were in red and those for the runners-up were in blue.

Peter O’Connell, Knoppogue, Mallow, Co Cork, who is sweeping the Simmental cattle breed championships again this season, also wore a lucky red and white ribbon on his trademark hat, just in case there was any confusion as to his county allegiance.

Before heading off to the showing rings, he noted that Cork had been beaten by Waterford on a few occasions already, but then he added a little nugget of wisdom with a winning smile.

“We are like the old sheepdog. When he is hungry, he will always come back for a bite to eat,” he teased the Waterford people as the good-humoured banter continued around the grounds.

Kieran O’Connor, Glanbia, sponsors of the Waterford team, through the Yoplait Essence brand, saw good signs for the county in Pádraig Harrington’s triumph in the British Open golf championship last weekend.

Like the Waterford hurlers, Harrington had waited a long time for major success. Now that he had achieved it, the team, having won Munster titles and played in All Ireland semi-finals, will now hopefully do the same, he said.

One of those Waterford hurlers, Seamus Prendergast, a south-east sales representative with Norbrook, who was standing nearby, had a confident smile on his face, as visitors to the show, organised by a committee headed by Alan Connors, chairman, absorbed the excitement of the infectious build up to Sunday’s game.