Tullamore showed its ability to stage a major national event when it hosted the National Livestock Show at the sun-drenched Charleville estate yesterday. More than 40,000 people attended the event which is now the largest one-day show in the Republic and replaces the old Spring Show which used to be held in the RDS.
Entries were up 17 per cent and yesterday there were over 1,000 cattle and 1,200 horses in the show-rings.
With 32 national titles to be competed for, the show attracted the best animals in the country and all the top breeders took part. There was a prize fund of £75,000.
This is the third year the Tullamore show committee has staged the event, which cost £180,000 this year and could not have been accomplished without a massive voluntary input.
According to Mr Christy Maye, public relations officer, almost 1,000 people worked voluntarily on the event which has become a great source of pride for the local community.
This was mentioned by the local Government Minister, Mr Brian Cowen, when he opened the event yesterday.
He said it was an indication of the way the community worked together that the county would also stage the other large agricultural event this year, the National Ploughing Championships which will take place in Birr at the end of September.
The show has grown dramatically in recent years, and there is now a huge trade exhibition element to the show, with over 200 stands on the 120-acre site.
In addition there were competitions to cover every aspect of life, rural and urban, with writing, baking, needlework, photography and horticultural competitions. Anyone looking for evidence that rural Ireland is in deep decline and that its people are an endangered species would have found little evidence of it here yesterday.
Instead there were healthy, confident people enjoying the sun, which Met Eireann, not currently in great favour with the Irish public, told them would not be appearing.
However, there were clear elements of what the shape of rural life will be with many exhibitions dealing with rural development schemes and alternative enterprises.
The show also catered for the traditionalist. There was a national loy competition showing the Irish spade, old machinery and engines.
In all it was a marvellous day out when rural Ireland at its best was on display.