Harry’s Top Dog in Show!

H ARR y

O’D ONOGHUE from Alphonsus Road, Dundalk has finally won the big prize at the National Dog Show. His beloved Wire Fox Terrier Blackdale Regent took home the ‘Best in Show’ Prize at the Irish Kennel Club, St Patrick’s Day National Show. The St Patrick’s Day show is the biggest day on the calendar for dog owners and usually takes place on St Patrick’s Day but was postponed this year due to bad weather.

87-year old Harry is well known locally, nationally and internationally for his skills as a dog breeder and exhibitor at dog shows. He has also judged at world famous dog show Crufts and has been involved with dog shows since 1953.

Down through the years Harry has won countless prizes both nationally and across the water but the coveted ‘Best in Show’ award at the St Patrick’s Day event had always eluded him until last weekend.

Harry, who founded the Pet Centre on Linenhall Street (now run by his son Adrian), entered his beautiful Wire Fox Terrier, Blackdale Regent, into this year’s show at the National Show Centre in Dublin. On Saturday he picked up second place in the Best in Show but he went one better during Sunday’s show as he fended off

Poetry afternoon

DunDalk Writers host their annual poetry event in Dundalk library on Saturday 17th June from 2pm until 5pm. The featured poets will be Jane Clarke and Eithne lannon. Jane is the author of three poetry collections. She will read from her recent publication a Change in the air.

anchored in the Wicklow uplands and the avonmore River, Jane’s poems explore everyday living, past and present , and what shapes us as humans.

competition from over 2000 dogs to pick up the coveted ‘Best in Show’ award. The road to ‘Best in Show’ is an arduous one with entrants divided first by group, then by breed, class and gender. According to Harry’s son Adrian, his father was delighted to have finally won the biggest prize of them all on the national scene.

“Dad has been entering dogs into shows for probably seventy years at this stage and he has won countless awards.. He specialises in Wire Fox Terriers and he has picked up the Best Wirefox Terrier award dozens of times down through the years. When you win the best breed you then go forward and go into a competition where you are up against every other breed to decide which dog is the absolute cream of the crop.

“Dad loves this particular Wirefox Terrier Blackdale Regent and he is already a UK Champion but he really wanted to win the Irish championship this year and to finally get his hands on the title means the world to him. He has dedicated his life to dogs and has travelled far and wide bringing dogs to shows across Ireland and the UK. He absolutely loves what he does and this is the cherry on top of what has been and will continue to be his life long passion,” stated Adrian.

Council return bins to town centre after POtUS visit

Litter bins removed ahead of the visit of US President Joe Biden to Dundalk are currently being re-installed by Louth County Council across the town centre.

LOCAL MAN Peter McGuinness has organised a charity darts night in aid of North Louth Hospice.

The event is due to take place in the North End Bar on Bridge Street on Saturday, 24 June. Doors open from 7pm.

“I’ve a former world champion coming over from England for the night, Steve Beaton (known as the Bronzed Adonis),” said Peter.

“Local players will take sponsorship cards and raise a few pounds for North Louth Hospice and play him.

“Steve has been in the town before. He’d be very well known. There will also be a raffle on the night and spot prizes.”

Eithne lannon has published two collections . She is a member of Dundalk Writers so the group are honoured to have Eithne read from her recent publication Everything Gathers light.

Her thought provoking poems embrace the natural world and eloquently articulate loss, longing and desire.

Join us for an afternoon of poems read by two esteemed poets.

Free event. Book at libraryhelpdesk@ louthcoco.ie or 042 935 3190

A total of 42 bins were removed in Dundalk for security reasons in the days before the visit of President Biden in April.

However, council engineers discovered rusting of components and maintenance issues which developed over the 15 years since they had been first installed.

Louth County Council have now taken the opportunity to refurbish all 42 bins, stripping back to bare metal and building up new layers of protective paint systems to protect the metal work for another 15 years, whilst returning the bins to original manufactured