The cattle classes attracted significant interest from the record crowds that attended the 79th Annual Virginia Show on Wednesday (August 24).
The beef-breed cattle classes drew large numbers of quality pedigree and commercial cattle from the surrounding region and both the Charolais and Simmental cattle society’s hosted their northeastern club championships on the day.
Charolais
In the Irish Charolais Cattle Society’s North Eastern Club’s championships, the Champion Calf, Overall Breed and Interbreed Champion titles were awarded to Rockvalley Stetson. This bull calf was sired by Cavelands Fenian and shown by Simone McCabe and Niall Maguire.
The Reserve Champion Calf title went to January-born Mashantucket Treasure, who was sired by Stimothee and exhibited by Adam Woods.
The winner of the autumn-born female class in the Charolais competition was Chanonstown Supernova, exhibited by Michael Carey.
The Spring-Born Male class was won by Goodmoove Thor, shown by new club member Conor Melvin.
The Reserve Breed Champion title in the Charolais classes was presented to Martin Hughes for his bull Tonyglasson Samson.
The judge on the day was David Bothwell of Killadeas Charolais.
Simmental
In the Irish Simmental Cattle Society’s North Eastern Club Championships, Frank Kelly from Ashland Simmentals was the judge.
The Overall Champion and Calf Champion titles went to Kilkitt Nadine, owned by the Brady family. The Reserve Overall Champion, Reserve Calf and Senior Male Champion went to Dermotstown Notorious VK, owned by Chris White.
In the Senior Female class, the first-prize title went to Kilkitt Nina, owned by the Brady family with Thornford Naomi, shown by Sean and Ryan Callan taking second and Fohera Numero Uno P, owned by the Maguire family taking third.
The Junior Male class was won by the Brady’s Kilkitt Norris, with Chris White’s Dermotstown Nobleman and Dermotstown Nemo winning second and third place respectively.
The Junior Female class was won by the Brady’s Kilkitt Nadine with the McGarry’s Clonguish Norma taking second and the Maguire’s Fohera Pretty Avrial ET awarded third.
Commercial cattle
The Virginia Show also featured an impressive collection of commercial cattle with tough completion for the prize money that was up for grabs in the classes.
The 31st Liffey Meats €2,000 Champion Super Beef Bullock class was won by Co. Longford man John Kane. The Longford beef farmer scooped up the trophy and the €700 prize after his bullock was awarded winner of the class.
It was a great day for Donegal in the Carnaross Mart €5,000 Male/Female Weanling Champions of the Show.
Pierce McNamee from Lifford, Co. Donegal, won the Female Championship award for his heifer ‘Dancing Queen’, sired by Hatcliff Dancer.
Also from Co, Donegal, Clive and Victor Barnett’s bull calf was tapped forward as the male championship winner in this class.
The Univet Ireland Ltd. and Virginia Show Commercial Heifer Championship was won by a heifer belonging to Mark McKeown, Co. Longford, and the Virginia Show’s Interbreed Champion was won by Simone McCabe’s pedigree Charolais bull Rockvalley Stetson.