2007 LIMOUSIN ANNUAL DINNER AND AWARDS PRESENTATION
Fivemiletown’s Valley Hotel the venue for a Gala occasion
The 27th Limousin Annual dinner, presentation of awards and trophies in the Valley Hotel, Fivemiletown, with a bumper attendance of Breeders and friends, was an occasion not to be missed and thoroughly enjoyed by all. It started with a mouth-watering beef dinner, followed by the prestigious Awards Presentations, which included the keenly contested Herds Competition Awards, and the Charity draw for John Adams’ pedigree heifer. Not to mention the music and dancing. It really was a night to be remembered.
Club Chairman, Bryan McElroy, in welcoming those present, made particular mention of The President and Secretary of the Irish Limousin Society as well as representatives of the Ulster & Northern Banks, McQuillans, IAWS and Norbrook Laboratories all of which were of enormous value to the Club by their sponsorship and support. He spoke, too, of the Carcase competition and thanked Linden Foods for giving us the facility to further demonstrate the “Carcase Breed’s” capabilities.
The Show Season
Bryan said that we had experienced a very busy show season starting off with Raymond and Stephen Crawford’s travelling to Paris Show with their bull Sauvignon where he won Male Champion and Best Bull in Europe Awards. Next was Balmoral where Peter Smyth retained his “Champion” Title with Carmorn Voney winning the Interbreed Individual as well as being a member of the Interbreed Group. He remarked about how the Breed continues to develop in Northern Ireland not only in the manner by which it has kept pace with the rest of the UK in its numerical supremacy over all other breeds but also in the way that local stock had dominated Sales “across the water” and he referred to the Carlisle Sales and the Bulls recently sold by Martin Conway at 30,000gn, James McKay at 29000gn and 24000gn and Stephen Clyde also at 24,000gn. He said that Peter Smyth with the Crawfod Bros and Bernard Mairs had a busy season at shows there, too and noted how Sauvignon won the Breed and Interbreed Championship at the Great Yorkshire.
Our own Show Team of the Year competition had been as closely contested in 2007 as it has been over the years. This is a competition where points are gained for class placings at the local shows and Bryan said that we are always pleased to see Limousins on the Show circuit and we appreciate how the Members, week by week, take the trouble to turn out with their stock. He added that it is interesting to note that 36 breeders won points at the local shows this year.
The “Show Team of the Year” award went to the Campbell Family, Carnlough, while the “Gordon Bull” for the most Show Championships achieved was jointly won by the Rodgers Family and R & S Clyde.
The “Irish Bull” presented to the breeder gaining the highest Sale price in 2007 has this year been won by Martin Conway for his 30,000gn sale.
The Annual Heifer and Bull Derbies took on an added importance this year as, after ten years of waiting we were able to stage the competition with animals both from N I Club Members and from Members of the Irish Limousin Society taking part. It was a great event with the Bull Derby being won by James McKay, the heifer Derby by William Smith of Oldcastle while the N I Club won the Irish Society Shield for most points gained.
Quality Cattle
Bryan then welcomed Mr Ian Callion, who had been judge of the Herds Competition remarking that this is one of the most keenly contested events in the Club Calendar and it requires an enormous effort by the Committee and by the Judge to get round and assess the merits of breeders cattle. Mr Callion, father of N I Club Member James Callion, is well known by the Breeders in Northern Ireland and he came over and spent a week travelling all over the country looking at herds and eventually reaching the conclusions which resulted in the awards which are printed below. In his comments he praised the N I Breeders for their efforts in maintaining the Limousin Breed at the high quality standard and said that he had a tremendous task in making his selections. The quality of the cattle and the quality of herd management, coupled with breeders being forward looking enough in their breeding policies to take into account the records of the various performance traits which are now readily available on-line. Mr Callion said that, while he was required by the term of the competition to make three placings in each category the others were in no way inferior nor should they be thought to be.
The presentation of the awards resulted in the following.
Herd Competition
Large Herd:
First: James McKay, Ampertaine Herd
Second: C & F McAuley, Carmorn Herd
Third: L & R Allison, Scotchtown Herd
Medium Herd:
First: Chris Murray, Annadale Herd
Second: H & D McFarland, Rahoney Herd
Third: Jim Quail, Lynderg Herd
Small Herd:
First: Bryan McElroy, Bridgeford Herd
Second: Mark Stewart, Lenagh Herd
Third: David Kenwell, Kendrom Herd
Herd Special awards:
Best Group of calves born in year of Competition
Henry McCracken, Seaview Herd
Best Group of calves by the stock Bull:
Derek Hume (Glenrock Vagrant)
Best Young Bull
James McKay, (Ampertaine Bermuda)
Best Stock Bull
T J Adams (Ulm)
Best Cow Family
C & F McAuley (Carmorn Holly)
Derbies (Local awards)
Heifer Derby: (1st placed N I Member) David Kenwell, Kendrom Herd
Bull Derby: (Ist placed N I Member) James McKay. Ampertaine Herd
The Fedneyhouse Award, the Chairman’s Trophy for the person he considers contributed most to the running of the Club in the current year was awarded to Ian Barr and the Chairman handed over Bouquets of flowers to three ladies who had acted as hosts at their farms during Club events, Mrs Adams (Club Stockjudging Selection) Mrs McAuley (Club Stockjudging Training) Mrs Wilson (Stockjudging training)
Charity Draw
John & Margery Adams of Fedneyhouse had very generously presented the Club with a Pedigree Limousin Heifer to be given as a prize in a Charity Draw with the proceeds, (estimated at £5,500.00) to be handed over to Muscular Dystrophy, N I, and the Neurology Dept. at the RVH Belfast. The Heifer was won by Mr Darren Kirkpatrick, Rathfriland.
This was a night of celebration of achievements by members but it also provided an opportunity of building friendships and having a good night’s craic – and this was done to the full – and to a late hour – in the spacious and pleasant confines of the Valley Hotel.
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| Martin Conway, Plumbridge, receives “the Irish Bull” a trophy presented to the Limousin breeder who gained highest price for an animal during the past 12 months from Club Chairman Bryan McElroy as Secretary, Elizabeth Rodgers looks on. |
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| Club President, John Gordon, hands over the President’s Shield for the Herd Competition “Best Stock Bull” to John Adams, Dromara. Also pictured is Herd Judge Ian Callion. |
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| Irish Limousin Society President, John Moroney, presents the Irish Limousin Society Shield won by the N I Club at the All-Ireland Bull and Heifer Derbies, to N I Club President, John Gordon. Included are Club Chairman Bryan McElroy (left), Elizabeth Rodgers, Secretary (centre) and Ger Ryan, Irish Society Secretary(right). |
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| Posies for the ladies who hosted the Club Stockjudging events (left) Mrs Margery Adams, Mrs Margaret Ann McAuley and Mrs Sharon Wilson. |
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| Herd Competition Judge Ian Callion hands over the Herd competition “best young bull” award to James McKay. |
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| Anita McAuley, on behalf of C & F McAuley receives the Herd Competition trophy for “the best Cow family” from Herd Judge Ian Callion |
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| Herd Competition – Large herd category – winners with competition jugge and sponsor’s representative (left front) Francis McAuley (2nd), James McKay (1st) and Leslie Allison (3rd) |
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| Chris and Donal Murray, winners of the medium herd category in the Herd competition with (right) sponsor’s representative Cecil Hamill and Judge Ian Callion |
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| Herd Competition -small herd category – winners with competition judge and sponsor’s representative; (left) Bryan McElroy (1st), Ian Callion, Mark Stewart (2nd), Cecil Hamill and David Kenwell (3rd). |
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| Derek Hume won the Herd Competition “Best group of calves by a stock bull” award and is seen with son Gary receiving the trophy from Judge Ian Callion. |
