Barryroe and Skibbereen are all set for the big shows

BARRYROE and Skibbereen are the latest stopoffs on the busy season of summers shows in West Cork, with Barryroe Show taking place on Saturday July 13th, with the Carbery Show taking place days later.

The 66th Barryroe Show takes place on Saturday July 13th at Barryoe GAA Grounds. A fantastic family event, Barryroe Show features horse, pony, cattle, and poultry classes, as well as a dog show.

This year’s show includes the €2,500 All Ireland Yearling Colt/Gelding Championship Final.

There’s also indoor exhibits, as well as classes for cookery, arts and crafts, flowers and horticutlure, and eggs, with junior classes for cookery, arts and crafts, and a flower section.

This year’s show will also see a demonstration by WestCork4Agility, an exciting new dog agility club specifically set up for the participating in, development of, and promotion of the sport of dog agility in West Cork.

Just a few days later, on Thursday July 18th, Skibbereen is all set for this year’s Carbery Show, which takes place at The Showgrounds in the town.

There will be a host of championship show classes, with everything from arts and crafts to flower arranging, photography, Irish dancing, music, machinery and food.

Again, this year the show will have its popular children’s amusements section, and also the popular mobile pet farm.

The Cycle Sense workshop will showcase their work on reusing bicycles.

This year Effie Neill will be a special guest, performing from 3pm to 5pm. Effie from Ardgroom, Beara was a Glór Tire Finalist 2024.

A photographic exhibition about Carbery Show through the years was on display at Skibbereen Library and will be on display at the show.

The show will also have qualifier classes for national photography, horticulture, and cookery competitions.

While there is something for everyone at Carbery Show, the show classes themselves are the heart of the event.

The Cork County Yearling Gelding and Filly Championship is now in its 36th year, and is sponsored by Access Credit Union Skibbereen. This event always ensures a fine presentation of top young horses from around the county.

Effie Neil will perform at this year's Carbery Show.

The Cork County Beef Bull Championship enters its 35th year and is open to all major beef breeds. This is sponsored by Munster Bovine. Qualifiers for both of these finals have been selected at all the other Cork County Shows.

Featured classes are the Irish Draught Mare and Foals Classes are the Champion Foal of the Show; The Champion Mare of the Show with the Sammy Burchill Memorial Perpetual Cup going to the winner.

The Half Bred or Irish Draught Mare & Foal class is sponsored by the family of the late Michael O’Callaghan, the former show president, and the Michael O’Callaghan Memorial Perpetual Cup go to the winner.

The Yearling Gelding/Filly to make light or medium hunter is sponsored by the Twomey family with the Billy Twomey Memorial Perpetual Cup going to the winner.

Carbery Show will stage qualifiers forhe Leitrim Irish Draught Breeders Championship, the All-Ireland Broodmare and Foal Team Championship, the Irish Draught Colt Foal Filly Championship, the Roscommon Irish Draught Yearling Filly, the Bantry Show KWD Irish Draught Foal Munster Championship, and the All-Ireland Donkey Mare & Foal Championship. Other classes in the horse section are ridden pony classes and leading pony classes, Working Hunter Classes and Donkey classes.

The Carriage Driving Competition includes classes for Open Driving, for the John O’Sullivan Memorial Cup.

The cattle classes include classes for Shorthorns, Jersey, Friesians, Belgian Blues, Herefords, Charolais, Limousins, Aberdeen Angus, Simmental, Commercial and Traditional Breed classes.

Again, this year there is a Champion Beef Calf class with qualifiers coming from the winners of the calf classes in the different breeds.

There is a qualifier class for the All-Ireland Pedigree Suckler Type Heifer Championship and the final will be held in Clonmany Show in August. The qualifier for Breeders Choice Traditional 4* or 5* Breeding Heifer also takes place.

There is a qualifier class for the All-Ireland Senior Young Stockperson Championship which is open to 18 to 24-year-olds.
The final will be held at Tullow Show on August 18th.

Carbery Show continues to encourage the exhibitors of the future and includes many classes for children, such as ridden and led pony classes, a junior cattle section, junior horticulture classes, the junior arts and crafts, and junior cookery classes.

The Junior Crafts section includes classes for items made from lego and from clay. There will be classes in colouring and a class for items made from recycled materials.

A pet dog show, which is a non-pedigree show starts at 2.30pm and this includes the class for Best Dog in Show. Entries are taken on the day of the Show from 2pm at the Dog Ring.