On show at Ennistymon

The agricultural show season continues with the North-West Clare Show in Ennistymon this Saturday and Sunday.
The grounds of The Falls Hotel will again be the setting, a venue that has played a big part in the success of the event.
The programme is the same as in previous years, with Saturday being allocated entirely to jumping competitions; the pony events will get underway at 9am and the horses at 3pm. The six events include Shannonside League qualifiers as well as the amateur derby, amateur speed derby and Dingos qualifier.
Big numbers should swell the showgrounds for the showing classes and side-shows on Sunday, while the indoor section in the nearby vocational school will also attract crowds.
The show is noted for the quality of its horses and no doubt the judges will again have a busy time picking the winners on Sunday.
The Costelloe Cup will go to the supreme champion of the young horse section, the Conlon Memorial Trophy to the owner of the supreme champion in the half brood mare section, while the McCarthy Family from The Falls Hotel will present their cup to the owner of the champion foal. Competition will also be keen for the various All-Ireland qualifiers, among them the Kildysart two-year-old filly, the three-year-old horse for Bannow-Rathangan show, Irish Draught Foal Championship for Munster (Bantry), Irish Sport Horse Foal (Mountbellow), Brood Mare Champions (Clare Show on July 31) and the Connemara two and three-year-old filly and mare of the future (Ballinasloe Show, October 1).
Cattle have also enjoyed increased support in recent years and the owner of the supreme champion in this section will be presented with the Ulster Bank Cup. All-Ireland qualifiers include Non-Pedigree Suckler Cow and Calf (Mohill Show), Suckler Heifer Championship (Swinford Show), Connacht Gold Feeds Beef Bullock Championship (Strokestown Show), Greenvale Feed Beef Heifer Championship (Strokestown) and Munster Non-Pedigree Bull Calf Championship (Kilgarvan Show).
Cups will also be presented to the supreme champions in the sheep and donkey classes.
The home-produce, horticulture, poultry baking, arts and crafts, flowers, photography and youth section classes will be held at the vocational school.
Judging will take place on Sunday morning and the exhibitions will be open to the public after lunch.
The dog show, bonnie baby and five-a-side tug of war will also provide entertainment throughout Sunday afternoon. Katherine Comber and helpers will no doubt have their hands full in catering for the ever-increasing interest and entries in the dog show.
A special attraction this year will be the presence of Catherine Halford from Carron, whose sheepdog won the best-of-breed category at the world-famous Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre last March. She was also a big winner at the Royal Highland Dog Show in Scotland.