Clonmany Agricultural Show 2023
In this article, public relations officer of Clonmany Agricultural Show, Blaine McCarron, outlines to readers what to expect at this year’s two-day event.
All roads lead to Clonmany on August 8th and 9th as the seaside town plays host to the massive event. The field is jam-packed with entertainment.
Live bands and top musicians such as Declan Nerney, Olivia Douglas and Martin Cuffe to name but a few are set to entertain the crowds.
Jiving competitions on the purpose-built dancefloor are sure to draw a crowd.
Traditional livestock classes are going from strength to strength with the Northwest Open Calf Championship carrying a prize fund of €3500 as well as the Northwest Open Suckler Heifer Championship with a prize fund of €1,300.
Meanwhile, in the fashion marquee, the award-winning McElhinneys of Ballybofey will be in full swing with fashion shows, a pop-up shop and makeup demonstrations.
Clonmany Agricultural Show – key attractions
If cooking and food are your thing, be sure to drop by our taste of Inishowen Food Festival marquee.
Celebrity chefs, Gary O’Hanlon, Shane Smith and Brian McDermott, will be on hand with cooking demonstrations.
The home industry marquee is set to be stocked with the finest local exhibitions of baking and craft.
Over 200 sections to enter, adult classes are set to display on Tuesday, with Wednesday dedicated to children’s classes.
Our ‘Farming, Food and Nature’ marquee will host experts in their field discussing all the latest in the environment, biodiversity, and green farming.
An event not to be missed is the live draw on stage, 10 fabulous prizes, where one lucky person leaves the show with a brand-new tractor or a brand-new jeep.
As well as amusements for the children there is also free entertainment, face painting, glitter tattoos and arts and crafts workshops.
Shearing and wool handling
This year is made extra special with a unique aspect in the form of The All-Ireland and All-Nations Shearing and Wool Handling, which will add an incredible dimension to an already wonderful two-day show.
Over the course of the two-day event, spectators can expect to see a staggering 1400 sheep shorn.
An exhilarating spectacle on a purpose-built stage while commentators keep the crowd up-to-date and entertained.
Plans are in place to live stream the event all over the world. Shearing competitors are at the peak of physical fitness.
Irish sheep shearer and veteran commentator George Graham describes the event as “the Olympics of sheep shearing with the finest athletes from all over the world”.
This event has not been held in Ireland in 6 years; it is the second biggest shearing event in the world, so we are just delighted to be hosting it here in Clonmany.
In addition, a local master weaver and full-sized loom will be demonstrating their skills on the day.
Excitement building
Excitement is already starting to build locally. We have really seen things starting to move quickly in the past few weeks, everyone is talking about the two-day show.
People are excited to see what we have in store over the course of the event.
As a committee, we are really looking forward to welcoming everyone to the show and putting on a great event.
The show field is absolutely packed with entertainment, too much to talk about, it needs to be seen! All we need is a drop of sunshine!’
Summary:
- Date: August 8th-9th, 2023;
- Location: Pollan Green, Ballyliffin, Co. Donegal;
- Admission: €13/person/day, €25 per couple and children free;
- Parking: Free on-site parking.
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