Summer shows shine on
THE show season, an integral part of rural life for thousands of people, has already started and will continue at venues north and south until the beginning of October. A total of 135 events affiliated to the Irish Shows Association will be held around the country this year with the support of sponsors, the voluntary help of local communities and the co-operation of livestock, bloodstock, trade and other exhibitors.
ISA chairman George Durnin, from Beamore, Drogheda, has urged the organisers of all shows to make a big effort to ensure they are accident free. He also called on show societies to encourage young people to get involved at local level and, along with exhibitors, to support their sponsors. Mr Durnin’s concern reflects recent predictions that problems with insurance claims could force some shows out of existence. His predecessor Paddy Joe Foy claimed that show organisers were being dogged with what he described as bogus insurance claims.
It would be very regrettable if some of these events, which continue a 200-year-old tradition, were forced out of existence because of “compo culture”. The shows are one of the knots that help to bind urban and rural people in social and economic wedlock. They also mirror past and present lifestyles and are educational in their own right. Show committee members, who provide shop window displays for horses, cattle, sheep, agricultural and horticultural produce and services, with the added aim of improving farming standards and imparting information, are resilient by nature.
Many of them remember the bad old days of not so long ago when insurance companies did not even want to handle the business of shows at all. Those problems were overcome and cover continues to be provided. But the solution was conditional on an increased awareness being developed by show organisers for the safety of both themselves and their visitors. As a result, improvements followed, with potential health and safety hazards in show grounds being identified and then eliminated as far as possible, better public signs being erected at venues, and more alert stewarding.
The ISA has led the way by holding health and safety seminars for show officials. Many committees have also appointed a safety officer with the specific task of ensuring that hazardous situations can be avoided in show grounds, where a combination of animals, vehicles and people often pose risks. One potential hazard identified by the organisers of Tullamore Show relates to bloodstock and livestock becoming excited or nervous and possibly causing personal injury to members of the public if they broke loose. In a bid to minimise or eliminate such a hazard, Tullamore provides a secure, fenced, unloading area, clearly marked and accessible to exhibitors. That is a commendable approach and one example of how shows reduce the risk of accidents and consequential insurance claims for personal injuries or damage to property.
Such safety conscious measures help to safeguard the rural shows, which are part of our heritage, so that they can continue into the future as vibrant and important features of country life.
This year’s calendar of events is somewhat changed from the last few years, with the RDS Spring Cattle Show at Goffs of Kill no longer a fixture. Classes for cattle and sheep are also being brought back on to the schedule for the Cork Summer Show, which reverts to being a two-day event this yearat the Ballintemple Showgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, June 19 and 20 with the traditional horse section remaining a big feature.
Tullamore Show and the AIB National Livestock Show, which attracted some 50,000 people last year, will be one of the main attractions of the season, on August 8.
Dublin Horse Show (August 4-8) will have over 1,500 horses and ponies competing in 127 competitions and classes for over €500,000 in prize money as well as 52 cups and trophies. Prize money has been increased across all showing and jumping classes. There is a substantial increase in the thoroughbred and draught stallion classes, with the first prizes now at €1,500, and the first prize in the working hunter horse class at €1,000. The RDS class numbering system in the schedule has also been streamlined. It is important for exhibitors to put the correct and new class number on their entry forms. There’s a new four-year-old or over class for piebald and skewbald coloured mare or gelding cobs 148cms to 155cms.
Showing entries for Dublin Horse Show close on June 14 and show jumping entries close on July 5. Meanwhile, the RDS has launched the dedicated www.dublinhorseshow.com website, which provides comprehensive show information.
Bandon Show (May 23), Midleton (May 30), Belgooly (June 5), Ennistymon, Co Clare (June 5 and 6), Kenmare (June 6) and Westport (June 6 and 7) are among the more immediate upcoming fixtures. Meanwhile, an awards scheme has been launched to honour people who have given outstanding service to breeding, exhibiting and adjudicating in both the bovine and equine industries. Athlone Agri-Show Festival Committee, headed by Michael Flanagan, chairman, introduced the awards for cattle persons last year and expanded it this year to include the equine sector.
Mr Flanagan said it is a means of recognising the vast contribution these people have made to the development of the Irish livestock and equine industries. Athlone Agri-Show itself will be held on June 27 with classes for cattle, sheep, horses, ponies, donkeys, goats, poultry, vegetables and other interests.
