GALLERY: New volunteers 'always welcome' to help out at Mullingar Show
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Anne Murtagh, Mary Galvin, Cllr David Jones and Kate Clune from Delvin.Image 2 of 13
Tom Heduan and Tom Moran from Mullingar.Image 3 of 13
Emma and Kyle Manning from Gaybrook.Image 4 of 13
Cynthia Devine, Joan Peppard, Peter Gilsenan, Patricia McCormack, Brid Galligan, Sean Galligan, Mary Macken, Mary Crowley and Judith Balfour from Mullingar Bridge Club.Image 5 of 13
Kay Keegan, Barbara Algar and Patricia Leogue from the Brosna Art Group.Image 6 of 13
Daithi Dalton, Johnny Gaye and Mary Power from the Civil Defence.Image 7 of 13
Deputy Robert Troy, Keith Nolan, Ray Dolan and Roger Nicholson on Sunday afternoon.Image 8 of 13
Insert: Cheryl Bradley and Bear from Multyfarnham.Image 9 of 13
Geraldine Delamere, Camillus Egerton and Marty Monaghan from Heads Up,Image 10 of 13
Some of the line dancers at Mullingar Show.Image 11 of 13
Dervla and Fintan Dolan from Mullingar.Image 12 of 13
Ben and Helen Dolan at the Mullingar Show.Image 13 of 13
Minister Peter Burke cutting the ribbon to open Mullingar Agricultural Show. Also in the photo are Eileen White (secretary of Mullingar Agricultural Show), chairman Christopher Nolan and Ray Brady, president of the Irish Shows Association.Two key elements in the success story that is Mullingar Agricultural Show are the sponsors and the volunteers, according to Paddy Donnelly, show PRO.
"We have quite a number of sponsors every year - and that could be big or small money. They have been behind us for so, so many years.
"Without the sponsors, we wouldn't be able to run the show," Paddy says.
However, there is also a massive manpower requirement - and again, Mullingar is not found wanting.
"Only for the voluntary help that we have, it couldn't be done, you just wouldn't be able to run the show - and that's something that's facing a lot of shows. It's harder and harder to get the voluntary help and in rural organisations, if you haven't got the voluntary help, you're losing out.
Thankfully we have that help and voluntary people come in each year to help out on the show and I'm really grateful and thankful that they turn up each year and we can't thank them half enough."
The volunteer numbers are impressive: "We have a hardcore committee of around 20, and then we had possibly something over 100 stewards on the day to work and do gates and all that. It's a lot of work on the day."
That said, the show committee are always keen to see new blood coming on board - not least because of the fresh thinking and new ideas they may have: "You have to listen to the general public as to what their ideas are about the show, and what they would like to see," says Paddy.
"It would be great if people would maybe come in...They don't have to attend meetings but if they come in and have their say at some meetings; that they'd like to see a change in this or that, that can be all taken on board because, you know, you have to have everybody's view to see where you're going long term." He asks that anyone who is interested in getting involved contact the show secretary, Eileen White, or use the contact details provided on the Mullingar Agricultural Show website.