THE BURREN WORKING DOG SHOW AND RACE DAY SATURDAY 27th JULY 24

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THE BURREN WORKING DOG SHOW AND RACE DAY SATURDAY 27^th JULY 24

The Burren is a quiet rural countryside nestling in the shadow of the beautiful Mourne Mountains and lies between  Warrenpoint and

Mayobridge. This was the  beautiful setting for the now annual Burren Working Dog Show and Raceday Saturday 27^th July 24. And what a day that was.

With the exception of a few light showers, the sun shone all day. The crack was good, and the showing and racing was top class. What more could a Country Sports enthusiast want. 

There was a big turnout of Terriers, Lurchers, Whippets, and Strong Dogs. 497 dogs shown in the combined rings and 127 dogs in  the racing along with one of the  largest childrens handling class I have seen this year. I just had to stop counting. The grass was well cut with the rings  well spaced out. The raffle caused a flurry of excitement with some great prizes to be had.

As the morning progressed to noon, very soon the 5 show rings were bustling with our canine friends, and to be honest a judges nightmare.

 As Mrs and Mr Raynard are in the maternity ward at this time of year, it was great to see our field dogs enjoying their summer break in the ring. That is what our summer shows are all about full of pride, fun and excitement. And there was certainly plenty of that from the men and women of the Mourne and further afield on Saturday.

Time passes so quickly, and very soon it was show time. 

Showing started at approximately 1.00 pm, followed by the Racing.

Here are the Overall Showing Results :

Champion Terrier

Martin Owens with Meg

Reserve

Brian Mc Cullough with Ralph

Champion Lurcher

Ged Donagh with Jake

Reserve 

Stewarty Graham with Ace

Champion Whippet

Sian Krysten Webb with Tikka

Reserve 

Sian Krysten Webb with Loca

Champion Strong Dog

Niall Mc Cann with Cola

Reserve

Corey Beggs with Paco

Champion Hound

George Barrett with Gollom (Iveagh Fox Hunt) 

Overall Champion PUP

Marty Mc Donald with Chubb

Overall Champion and Best in Show :

George Barrett with Gollom Iveagh Fox Hunt  Who Received the Sean Doran Memorial Cup 

Reserve

Martin Owens with Meg

Racing Results ( Courtesy of Biddy Mc Grath)

Under 21s

Rose Mc Coy with Arlo

Patsy Mc Coy with Dallas

Under 22s

Leanne Hawthorne with Casey

Rose Mc Coy with Gucci

Under 23s elite

Vanessa Lynn with Arthur

Errol Gardiner with Ranger

Under 24s

Kirsty Harpur with Chucky

Colin Tucker with Fletcher

Under 24 Hairy

Ged Donagh with Tess

Leigh Thompson with Jess

Big Dogs

Paul Owens with King

Paul with Miley

Mick the Miller

Ged Donagh with Tess

Errol Gardiner with Milo

Light Bulls

Joyce Scott with Axel

Tiernan Byrne with Molly

Heavy Bulls

Joyce Scott with Mable

Katelyn Mc Kenzie with Xera

Whippets

James Mullen with Junior

Sean Burke with Jack

Pups

Jamie O Connor with Penny

Ged Donagh with Jess

Finally,many thanks to the judges on the day for a job well done. 

Childrens Handling Class:

Emma Caulfield

Whippets/ Gavin Farrell (PIP)

Hounds/Dan Kinney

Lurchers/ Jeffrey Forsythe

Strong Dogs/Tom Barry

I cannot forget what a brilliant job the Mc Grath Racing team carried out at the Burren Show. The racing went like clockwork and without a hitch. Excellent,and well done to team Mc Grath.

Finally,Finally, this top show would not of been possible without this now well experienced and brilliant show organiser. 

Yes, I would like to thank the coordinator of this spectacular charity event Stephen Mc Nally and his family, Dad Louis, mother Margaret, brothers Martin and Noel, sister Theresa, and a most willing and friendly band of helpers for another top show and race day. 

It was obvious a lot of thought, organisation, hard work and sleepless nights went into making this event so successful on the day. 

A light went out in the Mc Nally household, when Stephen and his family lost a son and a beloved brother to cancer. 

This is total heart break for any family, but Stephens reason and inspiration behind the Burren dog shows is to keep the memory of his brother alive through giving back to the charities, through his dog shows to the people who helped the family in their hour of need.  

Over the last 3 years including this years show the Burren Show has given over £20,000 to charity. 

In 2022 /£4000 to the Hospice, 2023/£6000 Cancer fund for children, and this years charity “ Life and Time “ £10,000 plus. ( not finalised yet )

This years Charity  “ Life and Time “ is a non profitable charity who provide a community based end of life care for the people of South County Down in their own homes between 10pm – 8am. What a very worthy cause.

Thanks to Stephen and the Burren Team for a most enjoyable day, for your kindness, a brilliant venue, and I am already looking forward to more of the same in 2025.

Margaret Mc Stay

 

Edited July 30, 2024 by appleblossom