10 finalists picked for Irish Hereford Travel Bursary Competition

The Irish Hereford Breed Society has announced the 10 finalists for its travel bursary competition, which will see the winner head to New Zealand to take a place at the Young Breeders Competition, which will be held at the World Hereford Conference in March 2020.

The society says that there was “strong interest” in the competition and a high standard of application was sent in.

In a statement, the society said that the adjudicators “had a tough job to choose just 10 finalists” for the four places at next year’s conference.

The 10 finalists are:

Clodagh Lynch, Co. Cork;
Sinead Conry, Co. Roscommon;
Mark Stewart, Co. Monaghan;
Ross Bateman, Co. Cork;
James Thompson, Co. Carlow;
Catherine Smyth, Co. Meath;
Eoin Lynch, Co. Cork;
Hannah Quinn-Mulligan, Co. Limerick;
Michael Barrett, Co. Cork;
Katie Brady, Co. Cavan.

The next stage of the competition will see the finalists attend one of two cattle dressing and handling workshops.

The first of these will be held in Co. Westmeath this Saturday, July 27, where the five finalists from the midlands, north and west will attend.

The second workshop will be held in Co. Cork next Wednesday, July 31, for the five Munster-based candidates.

The aim of the workshops is to provide candidates with the “knowledge and experience of what is required in showing cattle”, including preparing the animal and leading them in the show ring, among many other parts of the process.

The Irish Hereford Breed Society has expressed its thanks to all those who applied for the bursary, those who have assisted in setting up the workshops, and the competition’s sponsors, Slaney Foods International.