AN ESTIMATED 12,000 people were on hand to witness the crowning of the Baileys Champion Cow on Saturday at the 70th annual Virginia Agricultural Show.
Held each year at the showgrounds by Lough Ramor near Virginia, Co Cavan, the top prize of the festival carries with it a €2,000 reward for the successful cow’s owners.
Some 650 cows had been entered before Saturday and this was narrowed down to 30 finalists on the day.
This year’s winners were Eugene and Seán Murphy from Waterfall, Co Cork, whose cow Lulu was declared champion by the panel of judges.
According to organisers, the key requirements for a champion cow are good legs and feet, body strength and well-proportioned udders. The competition was only open to cows that could produce in excess of 7,000 litres of milk a year.
There was more on offer than just the champion cow contest, however, for the thousands who had made their way to the showgrounds with over 3,000 exhibits across some 450 classes.
There were also prizes in a number of other categories as well as demonstrations from different producers of steak and cheese and as a large array of fresh produce.
“As we are more aware of where our food comes from, people were looking to talk to those producing great food,”
said Virginia Show Society member, Kaye Duffy.
There were also musical performances from Charlie McGettigan and the band
The Special Guests, as well as some traditional Irish dancing performances.