Mullingar Agricultural Show

There are few events around that offer as much variety as Ireland"s agricultural shows, and few events which serve as well to remind us of our agricultural heritage.Mullingar"s Agricultural Show is this Sunday, and there is definitely - as the organisers promise - something for all the family from the traditional attractions to the bang up-to-date.One of the highlights of this year"s event is to be a display by Cossack horsemen.The Cossacks - hailing from the southern steppe regions of Eastern Europe and Asia, dressed in colourful uniforms give a thrilling display of horsemanship. And if your kids aren"t looking for riding lessons already, they will be after seeing these men in action!But there"s loads more.If your interest is showjumping, you"ll enjoy the competitions that kick off at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning - but if your interest is bouncy castles and ice creams you"ll find those there too. But there is so much more than that.So for the uninitiated, what does one find at an agricultural show?Firstly, there are the obvious classes: showjumping, the chance to see top class livestock, and the chance to touch smell and admire the produce, such as fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants, grown on farms - and indeed in town gardens - around the county.But there are also the home-baking classes; the egg classes; the art competitions, the photography and handcraft sections, and the dog show.That"s not to mention the gundog displays, the army parachuting display, the dog agility display, and the sheep shearing event.But it doesn"t end there: there are poultry classes, and various skill competitions, while coming along to give the sort of performance which has made them one of the best-loved bands in the country are the members of Mullingar Town Band. Along with that, the show committee will be putting on display the range of vintage farm machinery donated to them by the Hamill family from Mullingar.Along with all that, the organisers of the show have a huge area devoted to the trade and machinery stands, which give a chance to everyone to see what the latest innovations in farm machinery are, and to see what businesses various firms around the county - and indeed the wider area - are involved in. Many of these stands are under cover, so even if there are a few showers, it won"t be necessary to stand out in the rain.Because this show honours Ireland"s rural traditions and heritage that the Minister for Agriculture, Deputy Brendan Smith, is coming to Mullingar to open the event formally at 2 p.m.Mullingar has had an agricultural show for most of the last 170 years. But, due to World War 2, it"s not an unbroken run, and indeed, when Foot and Mouth broke out, that too caused a cancellation. Sadly, the weather too has had its influence on the event, but the forecast looks not too bad for this Sunday"s event.The PRO of Mullingar Agricultural Show, Paddy Donnelly (profiled on pages 8 and 9 of Plus), says that the show organisers have been delighted to find over the years that more and more urban families are coming to the event.'It gives the children a chance to see live farm animals, and to understand where food comes from,' says Paddy.He adds: 'It"s great for the people of Mullingar that there is an agricultural and industry show in the area.'Behind this mammoth event each year - which is this year costing €30,000 to fund - is a team of dedicated show staff, headed by the committee, with everyone working on a voluntary basis.The President of the show is Joe Dolan, the chairman is Charlie Nolan, the vice-chairperson is Eileen White, the secretary is David Couper, and the treasurers are Aidan Keena and Agnes Moore.Tom Moore looks after the Trade Stands, which this year features a huge variety of businesses.The other committee members are Andrew Bannon, Rosaleen Barry, Christopher Dolan, Cyril Dunne, Edward Fagan, Alan Geoghegan, James Geoghegan, Raphael Kelleghan, Joe Henson, Margaret Henson, Joe Leavy, Dan McCarthy, Oliver Moore, Padraig Murtagh and Margaret Ryan.The major sponsors of the agricultural show are the Hamills, of Hamill"s garage, FBD Insurances, Kepak of Kilbeggan, and Liffey Meats.'On top of that we have an enormous amount of smaller sponsors who have contributed as well for the last number of years,' says Paddy.Mullingar is almost unique in having the showgrounds owned by the show itself. It"s a huge site, easily accessed, and with plenty of parking. On an ongoing basis, the committee have been working at improving the facilities at the grounds. 'It"s a fifty acre site, and we"ve done a lot, like put in a modern sand arena, and boxes, and the people in the agriculture sector and in the town should be very proud to say that there"s a place like this so close to the town.'To get there on Sunday, head out the Castlepollard Road, and follow the signs for the show.If anyone finds themselves tempted, after the show, to become involved with next year"s event, they will be welcomed with open arms. 'The doros are open at all times, and I would like to see more people from Mullingar getting involved in it,' says Paddy.There are over 200 cattle entered in the various classes this year, and huge numbers in classes across the board. There are several 'qualifiers' - competitions in which the winners win through the next round of a competition, which is held at one of the other agricultural shows around the country, in a bid to take, ultimately, a national title.