Co Meath farmer crowned King of the Culchies

A 26-YEAR-OLD Co Meath farmer was yesterday crowned King of the Culchies in Lisselton, Co Kerry.

Eoin Coffey from Enfield was elected king after a hectic weekend of fun and frolics in the north Kerry village.

“It’s something I never really expected, to be honest, and it’s just great to be crowned king,” he said. Judges said Eoin’s ability to mix well with everyone won him the title.

The Meath man even showed his cooking skills when he prepared a meal for the judges in the early hours of Monday morning.

“When everything was over he took a stove from his van and cooked a big fry for us in the middle of the street at three in the morning,” said festival organiser Paddy Rock.

Some 22 culchies from 15 counties travelled to Lisselton to compete for one of the nation’s most sought-after crowns.

While it’s not quite the Rose of Tralee, the culchies had to endure a nerve-racking on-stage interview and keep an escort happy for three days.

The culchies also had to display their literary skills when Billy Keane tested their poetry writing at John B Keane’s Bar in Listowel.

Eoin came through all the tasks without any problems and was the judges’ unanimous choice for the title.

“Eoin is an all-rounder and he doesn’t drink which shows that you don’t have to be drunk all the time to win this competition,” said Mr Rock.

The organisers don’t allow women or Dubliners to enter the competition, but there was a Women in Wellies contest this year, won by Siobhán Darker from Wicklow.

A new sport called roll bailing was created at the festival and the organisers predict it will make it all the way to the Olympics.

“It involved rolling bails of hay at speed and it was a major hit,” Mr Rock said.

It was a poignant time for last year’s winner TP McNamara, 23, who returned to his home village to surrender the culchie crown. It’s been a good year for TP and he spent the last 12 months “opening hay sheds, closing silage pits and posing for photographs with aspiring young models”.