The Tullamore Show & FBD National Livestock will take place next Sunday, August 12. According to organisers, the show is attended by up to 60,000 people annually.

The event is held on the 250ac Butterfield Estate, just outside Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

The tented village and pavilions cover an area of 400,000ft² with 20,000 free car-parking spaces allocated. Almost 6km of trackway has been laid on-site to help the ease of movement for traders and visitors alike, organisers have assured.

This year, the show welcomes its new sponsor in the form of FBD Insurance.

In the judging rings, hundreds of cattle will compete for the coveted gold medal. There will be 700 trade exhibitors and numerous sideshows on the day also.

Cattle

Championships will be run in the Jersey, Shorthorn and Holstein Friesian breeds. Young people will have the opportunity of competing in six showmanship classes, which should cater for all ages and interests.

The pedigree cattle section will have 200 classes for 13 breeds, while it is the national show for the Limousin, Charolais, Hereford and Simmental societies.

The commercial cattle section will operate in two rings to facilitate the 28 classes, carrying a prize fund of almost €20,000.

All the regular classes will feature in the commercial programme with one of the new elements being the Blonde D’Aquitaine Golden Heifer Championship, where the heifer chosen as the overall champion will be purchased by the Blond D’Aquitaine Society for €3,000 on the day – so owners must be prepared to sell the animal.

Sheep/alpacas/pigs

The sheep section will have 14 breeds involved, in addition to the young handler competition.

Alpacas will feature in the competitive element of the FBD National Livestock Show, with it being the National Fleece Show for Alpacas, but there will be displays of alpaca animals for people to see and learn about them too. There will also be demonstrations of shearing the alpaca.

The pigs section is planned to have a pig agility show taking place throughout the day, where spectators will be invited to compete with their friends.

There are also 10 competitive classes; five classes for traditional breeds and five for modern breeds. The champion and reserve champion from each section will compete for the Pig of the Year accolade.

In total there will be over 1,000 exhibitor competitions for a substantial prize fund of €175,000.

The show’s organisers are advising people to come early and have a full day at the show with catering villages, restaurants, bands, a pub and the big screen for all the matches in place, as well as children’s entertainment all day.