The 81st annual Virginia Show was held at the showgrounds in Virginia, Co. Cavan, yesterday (Wednesday, August 21) and despite the rain, the event was well attended with a good entry of exhibits across the almost 500 classes in the show on the day.
The livestock classes are always a big attraction to the annual event and this year was no different.
Large crowds gathered around the beef-breed cattle showrings throughout the day and as judging drew to a close, the final six classes seen the Virginia Show Champions tapped forward in their respective categories.
In the Commercial Champion class, taking first place was an entry from Sinead and Ciara McKeon from Ballinalee, Co. Longford who were presented with the Jack Love cup.
An entry from John Daly from Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan, took second in this class.
Next up was the Interbreed Champion and it was a Limousin cow shown with her calf owned by William Smith from Oldcastle, Co. Meath that took first in this class with second place going to the Charolais champion belonging to Sarah O’Dowd from Stamullen in Co. Meath.
The Univet Ireland and Virginia Show Commercial Heifer Champion was won by Sinead and Ciara Mckeon’s Jaegerbomb-sired heifer with second going to an entry from John Daly from Ballyhaise, Co. Cavan.
Then it was on to the Carnaross Mart All Ireland Male and Female Weanling Championships and the judge for this was Jimmy Percival from Ballymahon, Co. Longford.
First up was the All Ireland Male Weanling Championship and taking home the first prize in this class was an entry from Luke and Victor Barnett from Raphoe in Co. Donegal.
A weanling bull belonging to James McPadden from Tullamore, Co. Offaly took second in this class with third going the way of a weanling bull belonging to the Stevenson family from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.
Then it was on to the Carnaross Mart All Ireland Female Weanling Championship and it was a weanling heifer owned by Gavin McEnaney from Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, that took first in this class with second going to a weanling heifer belonging to Lorraine Greene from Culdaff, Co. Donegal.
Padraig Corrigan from Oldcastle, Co. Meath took third in this class.
The final event of the day in the beef-breed classes was the Liffey Meats Champion Super Beef Bullock with an overall prize fund of €2,000. Jimmy Percival was tasked with judging this one too.
The quality of the bullocks on show in this class was commended by the crowd and the judge and after a thorough inspection of the entries, an impressive bullock owned by the Moorehead family from Ballinalee, Co. Longford, was tapped forward as the winner.
Both second and third place went to two entries belonging to Oliver and Jason Stanley from Kells, Co. Meath, as the class brought proceedings in the beef ring at the annual event to a close.