Record 55,000 at farm trade show

THE vital statistics of Tullamore’s celebrated show and national livestock exhibition in Co Offaly, yesterday, told their own story of the sheer scale of the one-day event, which attracted an estimated record attendance of 55,000 people.

It cost €600,000 to stage and was marshalled by 500 voluntary stewards in support of a large force of gardaí on traffic duty.

The show had €100 million worth of trade and machinery exhibits on 500 stands and arcades, which occupied some one million square feet of space.