Paula Hynes: Proud to be at the cow version of the Rose of Tralee
Minister for agriculture Martin Heydon chatting with Becky and Pete Hynes at the Diagio Baileys Irish Champion Dairy Cow at the Virginia Show.
Last week saw a new addition to the family, we are officially grandparents as our eldest daughter Chloe had a little baby girl named Fiadh and she is so precious. Weighing just over five pounds when she was born, she is a little trooper drinking her bottle every two and a half hours with lots of sleep in between.
I had been taking Chloe into the hospital weekly for scans for some time as Fiadh was a little small and her arrival was also a little early, but health is wealth so it is a joy to see her so healthy. Chloe and her partner Darragh have taken to parenthood like ducks to water, they hadn’t much choice really as the day they arrived home from hospital with Fiadh, myself and Pete had already left for Co Down.
It was a quick trip to the North but we did had the most wonderful evening in Newcastle right beside the sea. Down is a county with stunning countryside, from rolling hills to the Mourne mountains which rise up from the sea. We had a wonderful tour of Potterswalls jerseys and the following morning we loaded Glamour and faced the long journey home again with the cattle trailer.
With Fiadh and Glamour both home, Sunday was hectic getting the farm reorganised as Pete and Becky were leaving early the following morning with Acclaim for Virginia in Co Cavan. Show gear, feed and equipment were packed and Monday morning was a 5am start to get Acclaim milked and allow her time to eat and fill her belly in preparation for the five-and-a-half hour journey - myself and Georgie keeping the farm running at home.
Virginia is a long way from home but the hospitality is always great in the town as we have attended Emerald Expo there for the last number of years in the springtime. Virginia is home to the Diagio Baileys Irish Champion Dairy Cow competition which is one of the most prestigious competitions for dairy cows across the 32 counties of Ireland.
Cows must have a high level of production to meet the entry requirements so while it is not just a beauty contest for cows, Pete told me over the phone that in many ways it is the cow version of the Rose of Tralee. There is a real buzz about the town and the evening before the show locals come down to see the cows and meet the exhibitors.
Many told Pete they can remember coming down as kids with their parents to see the cows and it is a tradition they continue on with the competition now running for over 40 years. There was a meal organised for exhibitors the evening before which was welcome as show day is always busy.
Acclaim washed at 6am and the task was to keep her fed and clean until ring time while also chatting to the thousands of people who visit the show. Richard Jones was working with Pete and Becky as usual to ensure Acclaim looked her best.
Exhibitor sashes presented and we were the sole Cork entry of 28 cows, 23 of which arrived at the show, seven of those from Northern Ireland. The atmosphere built up through the day with the minister for agriculture Martin Heydon arriving at lunchtime with a large media presence.
Minister Heydon always takes time to chat with farmers including the younger generation and congratulated Becky on a successful show season, wishing her well on her travels ahead in September. At 2.30pm a walkway is cordoned of with barriers to allow the cows to parade to the show ring at 3pm.
The class is split into three categories, heifer in milk, Junior Cow and Senior Cow, with Acclaim being five days too old to be eligible for the Junior Cow section, she was by far the youngest in the Senior Cow. However, we were proud to have a cow good enough to grace the Baileys ring and it is a big step up for our farm.
After two hours in the ring, Italian judge Giuseppe Beltramino finally tapped his champion, Annaghmore Fitz Atlee EX96 owned by Hallow Holsteins and Annaghmore Holsteins. Huge congratulations to Philip and Linda Jones of Hallow Holsteins who also claimed reserve champion with Hallow Denver Twizzle, congratulations also to Josh Ebron who manages Annaghmore Holsteins.
Well done to Cork handler Conor Lehane who showed the winner of the Junior Cow section. After a long day in the show ring, Pete and Becky headed on the long journey home to arrive into the farm yard at 1.30am. It was great to see Acclaim home safe and well and she has been in great form since.
We didn't attend Iverk show, we decided instead to have a quiet weekend as all the travelling recently has been tiring. Becky was away clipping and showing another team for the weekend at Limerick Show.
The curtain will fall for our outdoor show season at Inniscarra Show on Sunday, August 31. It is nice to finish the season locally and while the dairy classes may be small, it will be nice to have time to have a leisurely chat with people.
Inniscarra Show is held at the community centre and always a great fun family day out with sheep and poultry on display as well. The sheepdog demonstration always attracts a large crowd and there are lots of fun activities for kids.
Inniscarra fittest family is going to challenge a lot of athletic families, I will simply be happy to sit down and rest the weary legs while I watch someone else doing the running for a change. The show team will have ample opportunity to rest after Inniscarra as their next outing won't be until the National Dairy Show in Millstreet in October.
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