€175,000 prize fund for 2017 Tullamore Show
This year’s Tullamore Show boasts the biggest prize fund ever coming in at a massive €175,000, it emerged at the official launch of this year’s event last week.
The Tullamore Show and AIB National Livestock Show is pencilled in to place in Blueball on Sunday, August 13 and a crowd of 60,000 is expected for what is now the premier one-day event on the Irish agri calendar and also one of the biggest of its kind in Europe.
Chairperson Brenda Kiernan, the first woman to hold the position since the event was revived in 1991, agreed it is a busy time, but also a very exciting time for her and the large team of organisers behind the show.
'We have €175,000 (prize money) this year, it’s gone up. We have AIB, our main sponsor back with us for the 15th year,' she says, adding they also welcome back sponsors with them since day one and some new backers too, without whom the show would not be going from strength to strength.
'It’s terrific how people come back to us year after year, that’s why Tullamore Show is what it is, because of the sponsors and the voluntary effort. We have 500 volunteers every year which is amazing,' she added.
Costing in the region of €1 million to stage, Tullamore Show has a number of new features and additions this year, Brenda said, which add to its attractiveness for visitors from Ireland and abroad and participants who want to get their hands on the coveted gold medals and red rosettes.
The Charolais Society has chosen the Tullamore Show to stage their national show for the first time. In doing so, the Charolais Society joins the Limousin, Hereford and Simmental societies in holding their national shows at the Tullamore event.
The Angus Calf Champion is another new competition and it will have six classes with €1,000 prize money for each class.
Aside from livestock, there are a range of competitions in nearly 1,000 classes in all, including a new All Ireland in the pig classes, along with the usual keenly contested horse, sheep, dogs, poultry competitions, plus horticulture, cookery, arts, crafts, fashion, trade stands, food halls and much, much more.
As usual there will be plenty of entertainment for attendees with the star performer this year coming in the shape of popular country singer, Declan Nerney.
While agriculture is at the heart of Tullamore Show, there is something for everyone to enjoy at this year’s event, according to new show chair who is bubbling with enthuasism ahead of the event.
'We are the National Livestock Show, but there is something for everyone, for every interest, for the young and not so young,' she enthused, paying tribute to the team effort of all in the locality to stage such a large scale event and everyone who supports it year after year.