YMA Club notes

Emerald Expo

This year saw the warm return of Emerald Expo held at the Virginia Showground’s in April. It was great to see all of our Young Members back in the ring after a long break due to Covid. This year the National YMA held a series of competitions throughout the show where the young members could build up points to win different prizes. Results were as follows: Junior Handler: 3rd Zoe Greenan Intermediate Handler: 4th Hannah Greenan Senior Handler: 1st Colin Todd 3rd Hollie Keenan 4th Andrea Rafferty Colin Todd was also awarded Champion Handler. Congratulations to everyone involved

Club Calf Show European Young Breeders School

This year Breffni Oriel YMA was very lucky to have Hannah Williamson and Hannah Greenan picked to represent team Ireland at the EYBS in Belgium. Along with other members from Carlow/Kilkenny and Limerick/Clare the girls attended many workshops and farm tours to help them to add on the finishing touches with their calves for the competitions. Hannah Williamson placed 2nd in her handling class along with Hannah Greenan placing 9th in the class following. The girls also did an amazing job with their clipping and stock judging. Hannah Williamson also placed first with her calf; these results helping her to place 19th overall in the show. Congratulations girls on your top class achievements, you both have certainly done your club and country proud!

This year our calf show was held at Mullaghmore Equestrian Centre Co Monaghan. We had a very large number of entries and an excellent attendance on the day. We would like to thank our sponsors for this year’s show who were Oriel Vets and All Creatures Vets. Finally, a massive thank you to our judge on the day, John McLean who done a brilliant job with both our handler and calf classes. Handler results were as follows: Little Leaders: 1stJack Windrum 2nd Emma Coulter 3rd Jake Greenan Junior Handlers: 1st Alex Windrum 2nd Zoe Greenan 3rd Jessica Coulter Intermediate Handlers: 1st Hannah Williamson 2nd Hannah Greenan 3rd Aoife Prunty Senior Handlers: Champion Calf: 1st Sarah Williamson Cedarmore Handsome Pocahontas 2nd Hollie Keenan Padraic Greeenan 3rd Catherine Grier Reserve Champion Calf: Mature Handlers: Threemile Magic Bella1st Jamie Keenan 2nd Andrea Rafferty Christian Keenan Honourable Mention Calf: Champion Handler: Foyleview Unix Lambda Sarah Williamson Luke and Justin Porter Reserve Champion Handler: Well done to all involved. Hollie Keenan

National YMA Finals

We had a very successful couple of days at the National Calf Show this year which took place in Kilkenny at the end of July. We got the two days off to a good start with Hannah and Zoe Greenan finishing 3rd in the Team Clipping Competition. After this the Handling Classes commenced and the results were as follows:

Novice Handler 15-26 years: 2nd Alexander Tinney 4th Luke Porter 5th Luke Windrum 8th Justin Porter Junior Handler: 1st Zoe Greenan 2nd Alex Windrum Intermediate Handler: 1st Hannah Williamson 3rd Hannah Greenan Senior Handler: 1st Hollie Keenan 2nd Sarah Williamson 8th Catherine Grier Mature Handler: 2nd Colin Todd 3rd Andrea Rafferty Champion Handler: Hannah Williamson Reserve Champion Handler: Hollie Keenan Colour Breeds Junior Calf: 2nd Threemile Magic Bella - Christian Keenan 3rd Foyleview Miss Valentine – Luke and Justin Porter Colour Breeds Senior Calf: 1st Greenlea Chrome Marble – Padraic Greenan Coloured Breed Honourable Mention Champion Greenlea Chrome Marble – Padraic Greenan March 2022: 1st Drumshanny Handsome Elaine Red – Trevor Williamson, 3rd Foyleview Paradise Lambda – Luke and Justin Porter Junior Calf: 2nd Greenlea Lambda Pledge – Padraic Greenan Intermediate Calf: 1st Drumshanny Aladdin Swirls Red – Trevor Williamson, Senior Calf: 5th Cornboro Chief Jazz – Brian Corley Mature Calf: 5th Dalevalley Sol Unix Cosmo – Roy Cromie

On top of these fantastic results the club won the Best Team of Handlers, Best Team of Calves and the Sportsmanship trophies. Well done to all involved in an excellent show!!

Club YMA Qualifiers

After a number of years break, we finally got back into the show ring for this year’s club qualifiers. This year’s YMA took place early July in Cillin Hill, Kilkenny. There was a great turnout of both handlers and calves. Dermot McCarthy stepped in the centre of the ring to judge both showmanship and calf classes. A great day was had by all! Here are some results of this year’s Calf Show qualifiers:

Champion Handler: Doireann Mulhall, Mature Handler Reserve Champion: Handler: Hannah Murphy, Senior Handler Honourable Mention: Michael Blake, Intermediate Handler Champion Calf: Owned by Jim & Doireann Mulhall with Danville Jordy Red Dream Reserve Champion Calf: Jim & Doireann Mulhall with Danville Jordy Fame Honourable Mention: Owned by Liam & Sandra Murphy with Evergreen Unix Rhapsody

A sincere thank you to Dermot on a great job. Well done to all club members involved!! Thank you also to all senior members for their help and continued support with YMA throughout the year.

National YMA Finals

The National YMA Finals were held in Cillin Hill in the late July. Well done to all members who competed this year. On the first day Pauric Coleman & Michael Blakey competed in the clipping competition. After this the Showmanship took place, this and we saw all club members compete brilliantly in the tough classes on the day. Day two saw the calves take to the ring. The club performed fantastic in the ring on both days! Well done to Niamh Murphy placing 3rd in the Junior handler class!

2022 Shows

Well done to all club members who competed at all other shows across the country in 2022. It was great to see a keen interest and so many young , members back into the show ring. Looking forward to seeing you all back again in 2023.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that helped me, at both club and national level, during this past year. It has been an enjoyable year as always. A big thank you to all club YMA members and senior members for their continuous support. Well done again to all for a great year.

Doireann Mulhall

YMA Stock Judging

Kicking off our summer events was our annual YMA stock judging in conjunction with the senior club. This year kindly held at the Ibane Herd of Michael and Majella Coleman. The event had a fantastic turn out with an exceptional show of cattle to judge. Many thanks must go to the Coleman family and our master judge Nigel Bryan.

Club Calf Show

Our Club Calf Show was held Monday 4th July at the Killbritain Equestrian Centre. We had a fantastic display of handlers and calves for our Judge Michael Yates, who had travelled from the Logan Herd in Scotland. Our Champion Handler was Paul Murphy and Champion Calf went to Ardarostig Batman Sunray for the Murphy family. We would like to extend are thanks to Michael Yates for making the trip over and for displaying such professionalism with his reason giving, many of our young members commented on this and went home with inspiration.

National Open Day Workshop Day

The National Open at Ballytigue Holsteins, Limerick saw our under 18 stock judging team of Abbie Nagle, Kate Lehane and Sarah Shannon come Third in the National Stock Judging competition. Congratulations girls. The club were kindly invited to the Hynes Family’s Rathard Herd for a calf rearing and nutrition workshop led by Bernard Stack from Alltech. Many thanks the Hynes family for hosting and Bernard for providing such an informative talk, we hope to continue to run workshops like this in the future.

National Calf Show

Finally, the National Calf Show was back after a 2-year break, and everyone was delighted to be back! Kevin Smith and Stephen Burke took the clipping title bringing it back to Cork again. Paul Murphy won the Mature Showmanship class, going on to take Honourable Mention Showman. The second day of competition started with a Cork 1-2 in the Jersey Championship with the Hynes family taking top honours with the Lehane’s in reserve. In the Holstein classes, Eedy Sidekick Fame was crowned Honourable Mention Calf for the Helen Family. A new trophy was presented at this year’s show in memory of Cork Club member Mike O’Sullivan (Knockbrown). Awarded to an individual who shows hard work, willingness to help others and great teamwork, areas in which Mike was all about. The Michael O’Sullivan Perpetual Trophy was awarded to Kate Lehane, a touching tribute bringing the trophy back to Cork.

Kerry YMA had a very successful year in 2022, with a return to the full showing calendar. We were delighted to see so many members returning to the show ring, as well as many new faces joining us this year. We are very grateful for all the support we have received and would like to thank all who attended our events throughout the year. The club would like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors, Roche’s Feeds & the Kerry Holstein Friesian Breeders Club, for their long-standing support. YMA Workshop

Our workshop was held on Saturday May 28th on the farm of Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon, Ballyduff. The day started with a stock judging session, giving us a chance to brush up on our skills ahead of the KHFBC Field Evening. Our master judge, John Dillon, talked us through his placings of the 6 cows and gave a demonstration on reason giving. Next, Chris Heffernan & Jack Walsh gave an excellent demonstration on showmanship. We finished up the day with a mock show and the chance for everyone to practice what they learned. We would like to thank Ann & Johnny for providing an fantastic selection of cows and calves from the Rahela herd for us to use. We would also like to thank the demonstrators on the day, as well as all who attended.

YMA Calf Show

The annual Kerry YMA calf show took place on Saturday, July 9th in Barrons Agri, Clashmealcon, Causeway. We were delighted to have a fantastic turnout on the day and the quality of handlers and calves was just exceptional. It was wonderful to see a number of new families and handlers getting involved again this year.

Our judge, Diarmuid Murphy, selected an excellent team of calves and handlers to go on to represent Kerry at the National YMA Calf Show.

We would like to thank Barrons Agri, Diarmuid Murphy, and all those who helped make the day possible. Congratulations to all those who took part in the show.

National Calf Show

Kerry YMA had a fantastic time at the National YMA Calf Show on July 26th & 27th in Kilkenny Mart. It has been a long 3 years since we last saw the ring and it was a pleasure to be back. We were delighted to see such a large Kerry contingent at the event, supporting an incredible team of calves and handlers. Congratulations to all our handlers, exhibitors and our ag analysis team for their fantastic achievements at the event. Thanks to all those who helped out during the event and to the exhibitors for turning the calves out to such a high standard. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank the organisers of the show, including the IHFA staff and the National YMA Committee for hosting such a fantastic show.

Kerry YMA Calf Show Results

Beginner Handler 1. Aoibhin Corridon 2. Nora O’Carroll 3. Chloe Gleeson Novice Handler 1. Padraig McElligott 2. Aoibhin Corridon 3. Clíodhna McElligott Junior Handler 1. Clodagh Kennelly 2. Aoibhin Corridon 3. Padraig McElligott Intermediate Handler 1. Sarah O’Connell 2. Gearóid Harty 3. Kate Maunsell Senior Handle 1. Aisling Harty 2. Muiris Harty Mature Handler 1. Lauren Fitzmaurice 2. Noírin Kennelly 3. Chris Heffernan Champion Handler Lauren Fitzmaurice Reserve Champion Handler Clodagh Kennelly Honourable Mention Sarah O’Connell March Calf 1. Rahela Doc Hollywood Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon 2. Euro Cyprus Blackrose Daniel & Emer Curtin 3. Clahaneleish Crush Cherry Donal & Kate O’ Connell Junior Calf 1. Rahela Cookies N Cream Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon 2. Euro Sidekick Laurie Daniel & Emer Curtin 3. Akeragh Twist Riva Peter & Eileen Kennelly Intermediate Calf 1. Leagh Sidekick Alkaboo Donal & Kate O’Connell 2. Akeragh Alpha Arizona Red Peter & Eileen Kennelly 3. Counguila District Red Noel John & Nora Walsh Senior Calf 1. Leagh Lambda Mudusa Tim Fitzmaurice 2. Rahela Alma Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon 3. Hallow Haniko Maude Tommy Maunsell & Donal O’Connell

Mature Calf 1. Leagh Clearly Roxy IMP Tim Fitzmaurice 2. Akeragh Beautyaxn Pine Peter & Eileen Kennelly

Champion Calf Leagh Lambda Mudusa Tim Fitzmaurice

Reserve Champion Calf Leagh Sidekick Alkaboom Donal & Kate O’Connell

Honourable Mention Leagh Clearly Roxy IMP Tim Fitzmaurice

National YMA Calf Show Results

Ag Analysis 3rd – Muiris Harty, Jack Walsh, Padraig Broderick Novice A Handler 5th – Aoibhin Corridon Placed – Nora O’Carroll Novice B Handler 1st – Jennifer Harty 2nd – Cormac Walsh 3rd – Jacqui O’Connell Placed – Stephen Harty, Padraig McElligott, Clíodhna McElligott Junior Handler 8th – Clodagh Kennelly Intermediate Handler 9th - Sarah O’Connell Placed – Gearóid Harty Senior Handler 9th - Aisling Harty Placed - Muiris Harty Mature Handler 5th – Lauren Fitzmaurice Placed – Noírin Kennelly March Calf 4th – Euro Cyprus Blackrose Daniel & Emer Curtin Junior Calf 1st – Rahela Cookies N Cream Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon 7th – Euro Sidekick Laurie Daniel & Emer Curtin Intermediate Calf 4th – Leagh Sidekick Alkaboom Donal & Kate O’Connell Senior Calf 3rd – Leagh Lambda Mudusa Tim Fitzmaurice 6th – Rahela Alma Ann & Johnny O’Hanlon Mature Calf 3rd – Leagh Clearly Roxy IMP Tim Fitzmaurice

Club Field Evening

A great night was had at the KHFBC field evening on June 17th, hosted on the farm of Niall & John Mason, Tralee. It was a pleasure to judge the excellent selection of cattle on display from the Gortbrach herd. It was great to see many YMA members present on the night, putting their stock judging skills into practice. Congratulations to Muiris Harty, Kate Maunsell, Micheál Savage, Padraig Broderick & Jack Walsh on their exceptional achievements representing the Kerry Holstein Friesian Breeders at the IHFA Open Day in Limerick.

Showmanship League

With the return of the agricultural shows across the country came the return of the YMA Showmanship League. It was great to see so many people getting involved with the various shows and displaying their excellent showmanship skills.

Congratulations to Jennifer Harty & Clodagh Kennelly for placing 4th & 5th respectively in their classes at the Showmanship League finals, held at the National Dairy Show in October. Committee for hosting such a fantastic show.

Limerick and Clare YMA’s AGM was held in March in Deerbert House Hotel. It was great to meet everyone again after a long break due to Covid 19. We had a very enjoyable successful year.

Field Evening

Thanks to Roseleen O Reilly, Carrickfergus, Co. Clare for hosting a fantastic senior club field evening on a sun shine filled Sunday afternoon in May. All our young members really enjoyed the day while catching up with friends. Open Day

It was also a great privilege to have the IHFA National Open Day at the Ballytigue Herd owned by the Frawley Family. Some of our young members helped out in preparing for this event. Well done to all our members who took part in inter club stock judging held on the day of which our young member teams were very successful. Our under 18 team came 1st Place Team consisted of Bill Hannan, Orla Frawley and Daniel Chaplain. Our 18 to 26 team came 2nd Place. The team was as follows Damien Burke, Emma McNamara and Rachel McNamara. Also a big congratulations to Damien Burke who won the highest individual Stock Judging award in the U26 Category.

National Calf Show

All roads lead to the National Calf Show finals held in Kilkenny the end of July. All our members did a super job. We all really enjoyed the show it was great to see everyone again after the long break. Congratulations to our members on a very successful few days. National Workshop Day

Our club members really enjoyed the spring National workshop day which was held in Gurteen Agricultural College it was a very informative event. Well done to all involved. HYB Rally

We were very proud to have Four of our members travel abroad as part of Team Ireland this Year, competing at the HYB UK Rally, The European Young Breeders School Belgium and Cremona Italy young Breeders competition. It is an incredible achievement to be chosen to represent Ireland abroad. Well done to Emma McNamara, Claire Hannan, Jane Hannan and Rachel McNamara.

Club Calf Show

We held our Calf Show on Sunday 10th July. The club Calf Show was well attended by all club members, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to welcome all our new members on the day. Well done to all our handlers and breeders on fantastic show on a very hot summers day. Thanks to our judge Steve McLoughlin who done a fantastic job putting us all through on paces.

Champion Handler: Emma McNamara Reserve Champion Handler: Rachel McNamara Honourable Mention: Aimee O’ Donovan Champion Calf: McNamara Family, Ardskeagh Reserve Champion Calf: Boyce Family Honourable Mention Calf: Hannon Family

A special word of thanks to Charleville show Committee for the use of their show grounds. Thank you to everyone who helped in making this event a very successful day for our club. It is very much appreciated.

Finally our club would like to sincerely thank all our sponsors throughout the year for their continuous support it is very much appreciated. A big thank you to the National Yma Committee for all their dedication to the organisation this year. We are looking forward to the upcoming IHFA winter activity which consists of farm tours, stock judging/ Reason Giving demonstrations and afternoon Entertainment. Best wishes for 2023, Rachel McNamara.