Young Shepherd and Shepherdesses sparkle in Roscommon

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JJ Maher from Roscrea, Co Tipperary (Intermediate Winner), Gerard Shiels from Letterkenny, Donegal (Senior Winner) and Éanna Conroy from Woodford, Co Galway (Junior Winner) at the FBD all-Ireland Young Shepherd/Shepherdess Finals at Roscommon Show. \ Odhran Ducie

It was touching to see the level of skill, determination, passion and all round manner of those competing in the FBD all-Ireland young Shepherd and Shepherdess finals at Roscommon Show on Saturday. Organised by the Irish Shows Association in partnership with FBD Insurance and the Irish Farmers Journal, the inaugural competition was open to young Shepherd and Shepherdesses aged from 8 - 22 years old. All those competing at the finals in Roscommon had qualified at local shows throughout the country this summer.

Judging criteria

Broken down into three age categories, the day commenced with the competitors grooming and preparing their sheep for the show ring. This was overseen by the three judges on the day, Libby Wilson in the seniors, Michael McHugh looked after the intermediates, with Lorraine Brennan adjudicating in the juniors.

Following on from this, the youngsters got the opportunity to display their ring craft skills. They then moved on to some stock judging duties, before taking part in a short interview with the judges.

When the tasks were all completed and the scores were counted up, national secretary of the Irish Shows Association, Jim Harrison, announced the winners, commencing with the juniors.

Juniors

A massive cheer could be heard in the near by Roscommon town, as Jim called out Èanna Conroy as the overall winner in the junior section. Hailing from Woodford in Co Galway, Èanna is just 10-years-old and owns a flock of Zwartbles sheep. The young Tribesman loves going to local shows with his pedigree sheep, as well as going to the mart with his grandfather buying and selling cattle.

Just before Èanna was declared the winner, his younger brother Iarla Conroy was called out in second place, much to the delight of his onlooking family. Just eight-years-old, this wonderful young man was delighted to stand next to his older brother.

In third place was another outstanding young girl, Oonagh Fanning, all the way from Roundwood in Co Wicklow. A lover of sheep and all things farming, Oonagh is also a promising young Rugby player.

Intermediates

If the noise levels were high in the juniors, they went up a notch when JJ Maher was called out as the intermediate winner. All the way from Roscrea in Co Tipperary, this talented young 12-year-old took it all in his stride as he was congratulated by his fellow competitors.

Standing second to JJ was Niamh Fanning, the older sister of Oonagh Fanning. Just 12-years-old, Niamh impressed the judges with her love for farming, especially her beloved Jacob sheep flock. Taking third place in the intermediate section was Sèan Silke who qualified at Castlerea Show. The sheep bug first bit Sean when he was just six-years-old, now he has his own Moorglen pedigree flock.

Seniors

In the senior section the standard was nothing short of exceptional. Known for it's top-class sheep, it was fitting the overall winner came from the north west in Co Donegal, as Gerard Shields from Letterkenny withstood some serious competition to take pole position. Farming since he was a child, the 22-year-old has been breeding and showing sheep for many years now, and believes the social aspect is one of the most rewarding.

In second was another young Donegal man, James Johnston, who says the highlight of his year is traveling around Ireland to agricultural shows showing his sheep. This gifted young man is currently studying for a Masters in Education, to help fund his sheep addiction.

Just to make it an all-Donegal affair in the seniors, Dean Conaghan from north Donegal took the yellow rosette in third place. The 21-year-old has a keen interest in sheep farming, showing since 2017 and running a commercial flock of 140 Suffolk cross ewes.