It is now universally accepted that the Royal Ulster Winter Fair is a true celebration of pedigree dairy farming in Ireland.

This year’s event saw breeders from counties Wexford; Cork; Kerry; Kildare; Donegal; Roscommon; Carlow; Louth and Monaghan join their counterparts from Northern Ireland to deliver a day of elite competition classes.

It was another day to remember for Co. Wexford-based Hallow Holsteins. It notched up its seventh Royal Ulster Winter Fairy Inter-Breed Championship.

The 2024 winning-cow, Hallow Octain Twizzle, calved for the second time back in March of this year.

She is projected to produce just short of 12,000L of milk during her current lactation at 4.4% butterfat and 3.55% protein.

Her victory represents a 2023-2024 double at the Winter Fair for Hallow Holsteins. The herd is own by the Jones family.

Hallow Solomon Twizzle 3 took home the inter breed title from the event 12 months ago.

Pedigree dairy farming

Nathan Thomas, from North Lewisburg in Ohio, judged all the competition classes at the 2024 Winter Fair.

“We have had another tremendous Winter Fair. Octain Twizzle is no stranger to success at the event. She notched up the Reserve Junior Cow Championship at the Winter Fair two years ago.

“She is back in calf to Delta Lambda. We used a sexed straw, so hopefully we will have a heifer calf on the ground next April.”

He regards his inter breed champion as an elite Holstein cow, adding:

“She has an excellent mammary system plus tremendous feet and legs. As a result, the cow has excellent locomotion, but above all else, she has tremendous breadth across the chest. Her ability to convert feed into milk is immense.”

The Interbreed Reserve Championship was won by the Fleming family, from Seaforde in Co. Down, with their excellent Jersey cow, Potterswalls Bontino Dawn.

The fifth calver, also the 2024 Jersey Champion at the Winter Fair looked an absolute picture in the ring throughout the day.

The Interbreed Honourable Mention at the event was won by the Hynes family, from Agherla in Co. Cork with Eedy Rubicon Acclaim. Earlier in the day, the young cow had been selected as the Holstein Reserve Champion.

She calved for the second time just over a month ago and is currently giving 55L of milk per day.

Prior to judging at the Winter Fair, Thomas had visited a number of dairying operations across Europe.

“Many of the cows taking part in the Winter Fair would have competed extremely well at comparable events in many other countries,” he commented.

2024 Royal Ulster Winter Fair: Results

Supreme Inter-Breed Champion: Hallow Holsteins, Co. Wexford;

Supreme Inter-Breed Reserve Champion: Fleming family, Co. Down;

Supreme Inter-Breed Honourable Mention: Hynes family, Co. Cork;

Supreme Inter-Breed Champion: Exhibitor-Bred: Hallow Holsteins;

Inter-Breed Heifer Champion: Fleming family;

Inter-Breed Heifer Champion Reserve: T Henry & Sons, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim;

Inter-Breed Junior Champion: Fleming family;

Inter-Breed Heifer Champion Reserve: Steve McLoughlin, Co. Kildare.

The Inter Breed Reserve Champion at the 2024 Royal Ulster Winter Fair

Holstein classes:

Champion: Hallow Holsteins;

Reserve: Hynes family;

Heifer Champion: T. Henry & Sons;

Heifer Champion Reserve: S & J McCormick.

Junior Champion: Steve McLoughlin;

Junior Champion Reserve: Slatabogie Holsteins;

Premier Holstein Exhibitor: Slatabogie Holsteins;

Heifer class: Born March to August 2024

1^st: Slatabogie Holsteins, Maghera, Co. Derry;

2^nd: Hynes family.

Heifer class: Born September 2023 to February 2024

1^st: Slatabogie Holsteins;

2^nd: G & D Simpson, Lisburn, Co. Antrim.

Heifer class: Born March to August 2023

1^st: Steve McLoughlin;

2^nd: Richardson family, Co. Armagh.

Junior two-year-old cow in milk class

1^st: T Henry & Sons;

2^nd: S & J McCormick, Bangor, Co. Down.

Junior three-year-old cow in milk class

1^st: Hynes family;

2^nd: Hallow Holsteins.

Four-year-old cow in milk class

1^st: Hallow Holstein;

2^nd: hallow Holsteins.

Five-year-old cow in milk class

1^st: G & D Simpson.

2^nd: S & J McCormick.

Mature cow class

1^st: Steve McLoughlin;

2^nd: S & J McCormick.

Best Red & White Holstein class

Noel McCorry, Co. Armagh.

Dairy Shorthorn classes

Champion: McLean Family, Bushmills, Co. Antrim;

Reserve Champion: McLean Family;

Heifer Champion: McLean Family;

Junior Champion: Fleming family;

Junior Champion Reserve: Peter and Eileen Kennelly.

Maiden heifer class

1^st: Fleming family;

2^nd: Peter and Eileen Kennelly, Tralee, Co. Kerry.

Heifer in milk class

1^st: Mclean family;

2^nd: McLean family.

Best Exhibitor-bred animal: McLean family.

Premier Exhibitor: McLean family.

The Inter-Breed Honourable Mention at the 2024 Royal Ulster Winter Fair

Jersey classes

Champion: Fleming family;

Reserve Champion: Fleming family;

Heifer champion: Fleming family;

Heifer Champion Reserve: Jones family;

Junior Champion: Fleming family;

Junior Champion Reserve: Martin King.

Maiden Heifer class

1^st: Martin King, Ballymena;

2^nd: Clandeboye Estate, Bangor, Co. Down.

Heifer in milk class

1^st: Fleming family;

2nd: Jones family, Co. Wexford.

Senior Cow class

1^st: Fleming family;

2^nd: Fleming family.

Best Exhibitor-bred Jersey: Fleming family;

Premier Exhibitor Award, Jersey classes: Fleming family;

Ayrshire classes

Champion: Christian and Hollie Keenan, Co. Monaghan;

Reserve: Alan Irwin, Clogher;

Junior Champion: Slatabogie Holsteins;

Junior Champion Reserve: McLean family.

Maiden Heifer class

1^st: Slatabogie Holsteins;

2^nd: McClean family.

Cow in calf class

1^st: Raymond Stewart, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim;

2^nd: Baxter family, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone.

Cow in milk class

1^st: Christian and Hollie Keenan;

2^nd: Alan Irwin.

Best Exhibitor-bred Ayrshire: Christian and Hollie Keenan.

Showmanship classes

Junior Showmanship Champion: Clodagh Kennelly, Co. Kerry;

Junior Showmanship Champion Reserve: George Hynes, Co. Cork;

Intermediate Showmanship Champion: Adam Torrens, Coleraine;

Intermediate Showmanship Champion Reserve: Miss Ava Simpason, Lisburn, Co. Antrim;

Senior Showmanship Champion: Manus Murphy;

Senior Showmanship Champion Reserve: Jennifer Harty, Tralee;

Mature Showmanship Champion: Sam McIntyre, Bushmills;

Mature Showmanship Champion Reserve: Amy King, Ballymena.

Winter Fair 2024

Winter Fair 2024: Celebrating pedigree dairy farming in Ireland