A €40,000 cash prize pot is up for grabs across various categories at the 44th annual Elphin Agricultural Show 2023, which takes place on Saturday, September 2nd, 2023.
The event, which is hosted by Elphin Agricultural Show Society Co. LTD at Elphin Livestock Mart, Co Roscommon, will offer a “family-fun day,” according to organisers.
There are classes for livestock including cattle, sheep and goats, turf/straw, farm produce, the best scarecrow, flowers, cookery, handcrafts, photography, adult art and junior art, poultry, and dogs, among others.
Some of the other highlights include free children’s entertainment, Gerard Butler Dance and Jiving Competition, Bonny Bay Competition, Elphin 2023 Liss Miss, Elphin 2023 Little Master, Parent and Child Look-alike & Elphin 2023, Miss Teen, Most Glamorous Granny, Most Appropriately Dress Lady & Best Dressed Gentleman, a monster raffle, exhibitions, and talks.
Livestock
We have reviewed the pre-show schedule and for the purpose of this article, have summarised some of the classes contained within as follows:
In the pedigree cattle section, there will be showing classes for Angus, Hereford, Shorthorn, Simmental, Limousin and Charolais, along with an inter-breed group competition, for the best pair of animals, property of one exhibitor and best group of three for the Michael F and Martha Gunn Perpetual Cup.
There commercial cattle un-haltered section includes classes for bullocks, heifers (including butcher types 550kg or under, continental and non-continental likely to make a suckler cow), stockperson classes for 8-12 and 13-17 and a number of All-Ireland categories.
In addition, the show will also play host to the ISA/DAFM Breeder’s Choice Traditional 4 or 5-Star Breeding Heifer, sponsored by the DAFM, with a prize fund of €750.
Meanwhile, some of the highlights in the horse section include a male and foal championship (class 3), categories for the best foal, best yearling colt or filly, best two-year-old colt or filly, best three-year-old colt or gelding and the best three-year-old filly.
The riding horses section has ten classes, ranging from lightweight cob, to and heavyweight cob, lightweight hunter, heavyweight hunter, amateur ride and Irish Draught mare/gelding four years and over.
The pony section will see classes for the best registered Connemara broodmare, foal, yearling, two-year-old, and three-year-old and upwards colt, gelding or filly, among others.
In the sheep section, there will be classes for Suffolk, Charollais and Texel rams, ram lambs, ewes, ewe lambs, along with cross-bred ewes, hoggets, ewes, lambs and young handlers, among others.
Highlights listed by Elphin Ag Show:
Cattle
- All Ireland Pedigree Charolais Baby Calf €1,500
- All Ireland Beef Heifer €1,500
- All Ireland Commercial Breeding Heifer un-haltered
- ISA & Dept of Agri Breeders’ Choice Traditional 4 or 5
- Star Breeding Heifer €750 –North West Limousin Club Classes
Horses and Ponies
- The Cyril McDermott All-Ireland Broodmare Pony (with foal at foot) Championship (€500)
- The Elphin Show Mare and Foal Championship (€500)
Poultry
- All Ireland Duck & Drake
- All Ireland Male &Female Chicken
Dogs
- All-Ireland Jack Russell Male and Female (€100)
- All-Ireland Male Pup(Non-Pedigree) U-12 months (€100)
- All-Ireland Female Pup (Non-Pedigree) U-12 months (€100)
- All-Ireland Male Pup (Pedigree) U-12 months (€100)
- All-Ireland Female Pup (Pedigree) U-12 months (€100)
Cookery
- All-Ireland Under 18 Muffin competition: €100
- All-Ireland Jam (€100)
- All-Ireland Treacle Bread (€100)
- All-Ireland Junior/Under 13 Apple Tart (€60)
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