Volunteers and sponsors hailed at Athlone Agri Show launch

By David Flynn

O’Donohoe’s farm in Garnafailagh is home again on Sunday, June 21, for the Athlone Agri Show, which was officially launched last Thursday night at The Bounty.

The show was launched by TUS Chaplain Fr Shay Casey on the week of his 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.

In a passionate and insightful speech, he told the large gathering, including national and local politicians: “We need to be proud of the agricultural fabric of our society, and keep that pulse beating strongly above all things!”

Fr. Casey and each of the other invited speakers had one common thread in their delivery, in that, they praised the involvement of volunteers, sponsors and exhibitors in the organising of this year’s show.

“I love to see young people bringing their chickens, hens and dogs which is all part of the great family of people who are part of the agricultural fabric of our society,” said Fr. Shay Casey. “From a personal point of view, I really believe that the agriculture shows are the heartbeat of agri Ireland, and it's so important that that heartbeat is kept strong, and I'm looking forward here to see our MEPs and our councillors support the rural environment in all its aspects.”

He said that the shows bring together what is best in agriculture, but that “it doesn’t happen overnight!”

“There will be at least a year to eighteen months in preparation, maybe longer, to prepare a horse for the shows and the people that do that are so proud of their animals,” said the priest who has been a chaplain to Athlone students for forty-eight years (seven in the Marist College and Our Lady’s Bower and forty-one in Athlone IT, now TUS).

“I love to see young people exhibit and see them develop an eye for stock, but that’s kind of what’s missing, and sometimes people are losing the skill and you need that knowledge passed on,” said the Athlone Chaplain.

PJ Glynn, Chairman of Athlone Agri Show, echoed Fr Casey’s comments regarding all who help make the event possible.

“It’s a very costly event to run, and each and every sponsor, thank you, big and small, you are all valuable,” he said.

He told the gathering they are indebted to Michael O’Donohoe for the “beautiful location,” for the Athlone Show.

“I think the show is growing and growing over the last number of years since we joined that site, so I thank Michael,” he said. “This year, we have the cattle, the sheep and poultry, the equine, the dog show, the Cookery, photography, art and the vegetable classes. The classes are getting big. In the sheep section this year, I think we have six All-Irelands, and we have over one thousand sheep, which is a huge, huge number.”

PJ also talked of the entertainment on the day with music star, Declan Nerney and dancing, and said that there are events for children and families.

He introduced one of the night’s special guests – National President of Irish Shows Association Freda Kinnarney.

“It’s wonderful to be here with you again, and last year seems like such a short time ago, and a lot has happened, and we had a great show in Michael’s (O’Donohoe) premises, and this is the night that marks the beginning of the next one,” said Freda Kinnarney.

The National Shows President also praised all the stakeholders, committee and trade exhibitors for the day, and said each is important in their own right, to make it all successful.

Nina Carberry MEP for Midlands North-West attended The Bounty launch on the night and recalled being at the show last year with her children, (and being shown around by Cllr John Dolan) and said that the family went home with many bags of produce.

“The show is important for the local community, and all the volunteers work into the night and do an amazing job, which takes a lot of planning,” said the MEP. “I am delighted to support such shows like Athlone and I know the equine section is hugely important, which I’m delighted to see, and maybe I’ll enter something.”

Minister Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran told the gathering that the Athlone Show means a lot to him, particularly seeing his neighbour and friend, Michael O’Donohoe’s involvement.

“The show has grown over the past few years to be a spectacular event and I think the people of the midlands and further afield really enjoy it,” said Boxer. He told of meeting a man from Moate, while he was in Australia recently, and the man talked of the Athlone Show and his father putting sheep there. The Minister talked of the young man looking forward to seeing the pictures from the show in Australia. He said both the Office of Public Works and the National Parks and Wildlife Service would be involved in the show.

Roscommon-Galway TD Dr Martin Daly told the audience that he too was at last year’s show and found it tremendous!

“These agriculture shows are so absolutely critically important for the social cultural life of rural Ireland,” said Dr Daly. “It’s incumbent on Government to speak to rural communities, to speak to farming communities, to support them in every way that we can, and to acknowledge the difficulties that are out there in communities with the cost-of-living crisis and also the difficulties people have in terms of agriculture.”

Cllr John Dolan is Vice-Chair of Athlone Agri Show and talked of Westmeath County Council supporting the show for a number of years.

“We allocated €5000 towards the show, because we feel it’s one of the premier events in the area, and we're delighted to support it from the festival events grants,” said the Fine Gael councillor.

He said it was probably an ideal site, as it managed to be both rural, but yet near enough to town to encourage the growing population to come out,” he said, citing the free bus service for the last number of years from Golden Island.