Thousands expected to attend sheep shearing championships

UP to 20,000 visitors are expected to attend the Clik All Ireland Sheep Shearing Championships in Portlaoise on June 5 and 6 – the bank holiday weekend.

Competitors from Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland will take part.

Laois is one of the top sheep counties in Ireland, with more than 70,000 head and an average flock size of 120. But this will be the first time the championships will be held in the county. Organised by Portlaoise Sheep Shearing Association, the venue will be the local rugby club grounds, on the town outskirts and just off the main Dublin to Limerick road.

In addition to the major national and international competitions, other attractions will include the Clik Speed Shear Challenge. Elite shearers from home and abroad will compete against the clock in this winner-takes-all competition on the Saturday evening. There will also be a shearing test between Ireland and Wales on Sunday. A wide range of other attractions will include sheep dog trials, wool handling competitions, a farmers’ market, gardening displays and children’s entertainment.

Organising committee chairman Cllr Martin Phelan said, geographically, Portlaoise is ideally located and easily accessible.

“We are looking forward to welcoming people from all over Ireland and we are working hard to ensure the event will be a memorable one,” he said

Eugene Smyth, regional manager, Novartis Animal Health, said that the event is one of the most important and popular in the Irish farming calendar, and will give people an excellent opportunity to see the world’s leading shearers in action. “In addition, it should provide a huge boost to the local economy by attracting people from all over Ireland to the region for the weekend,” he said.