Mullingar Show ‘one of the best ever’
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Miles Gillespie and Katie Boyle from AIB Mullingar.Image 2 of 12
Des Carroll and Margaret Henson on Sunday afternoon.Image 3 of 12
Charlie McGeady on one of the tractors.Image 4 of 12
Gay Parkinson presenting Orla Cleary and Moyglass DC with the John McKay Perpetual Cup.Image 5 of 12
Chris Dolan, Joe Dolan, Tony Dolan and Edel Mulvanney on Sunday.Image 6 of 12
Anna Moran and Emer Duignan from David Smyth Catering.Image 7 of 12
Paddy Hergaty and Sean McGiughran took part in the sheep shearing competition.Image 8 of 12
Eamonn Brady, Daniel Brady, Senan Conroy and Padraig Raleigh at Mullingar Show Grounds.Image 9 of 12
Robert Mizzell during his performance.Image 10 of 12
John Doran and Ollie Malynn from Ballymore.Image 11 of 12
Johnny and Louise Farrell from Athlone.Image 12 of 12
Carla and Anna Flood from Gaybrook with Tyson.One day after the Mullingar Agricultural Show, it was too early for strictly accurate figures and lists - but even without the gate figures totted up, the show committee is confident that the show of 2024 was potentially one of their best ever.
"It was a very successful show,” Paddy Donnelly, show PRO, told the Westmeath Examiner yesterday.
"It would be one of the largest attendances we've had: if not the largest, it was very close to it."
The fine weather undoubtedly helped - but another factor in the success of the event was that the committee went all out to cater for the youngest members of the family: "We had a kiddies corner and that really went down a bomb.
“Oftentimes families go to a show and they're wheeling kids around in go-carts and they're just going from stand to stand and there's really nothing for the kids to get down and play with. So we had a nice safe area for the kids to play in.
“They were overseen by their parents and they had small toys to play with and sand and slides."
That, of course was apart from the attraction of the livestock - always a winner with kids as well as the adults!
As it happens, when it came to livestock entries, this was again a bumper year.
"There were over 200 cattle in it and there was, I think, around 300 sheep.
“The entries were way up," says Paddy, adding that entries were up also in the equestrian section, horticulture, flowers and baking classes as well. There was a lot of interest in the rare Blacknose Sheep, and in fact in general, the above-average sheep entry was a considerable boost.
"Another big thing was the fact that we had a minister doing the official opening," says Paddy.
Even more significant was the fact that the Minister - Peter Burke - was from a family that has had a long association with the show, even going back to the days when the show was held at the old racecourse.
Evidence that that association looks set to continue into the future was the fact that Minister Burke was accompanied to the event by his family - wife Olivia and sons Leo and Ted.
The live music from Robert Mizzell and local performers proved very popular, and the dancefloor provided was kept full.
"It's a real day out. And it's not expensive to get in," says Paddy.
It's an expensive enterprise to run however, costing over €90,000 - but two things are crucial to making it happen: the generosity of the sponsors and the fact that the core committee of around twenty who organise the event are all volunteers, as are the approximately 100 stewards who come on board for the event itself.
"Without the sponsors, we wouldn't be able to run the show," Paddy says.
"The only dampener we had was the fact that we were missing Oliver Moore, who was a kingpin of the show," he goes on to say, adding that the committee is grateful to the Moore family who have donated a cup in Oliver's memory.