Well-shorn craic at the Top of Coom for some great shearing

“He is coming up the left side. He is down to his final sheep. A loud cheer for Dan as he moves in for another sheep” – just some of the commentary rousing the competitors and keeping the participants entertained, as skilled shearers battled it out on the stage at this year’s Top of Coom sheep-shearing.

It sounds like a GAA game in action, and to some it’s just as thrilling, as they care just as much about how the shearers are faring as they do about the match scores. Results will be analysed over and over, and how marks were lost will be the focus of much conversation.

This year’s field of shearers included local, national and international competitors vying for titles with blades and machines. Some hotly contested, skilled matches took place between these entrants, as the event marked its 40th anniversary by welcoming a record number of competitors.

When this now-annual event first started, 800 sheep were shorn by competitors. 40 years later, on Sunday, almost 1,200 sheep were shorn.

And with a record number of shearers also came a record number of attendees, with many sitting it out for much of the day to see competitors in action, among them world record-holder and one of Ireland’s most skilled shearers, Ivan Scott from Donegal.

Kerry, too, has its fair share of record-holders, and joining the hall of fame this year was Waterville man Patrick Moran, who was presented with the Masters Blade Sheep-Shearing Award. Aside from the key competitions of the day – including the local competition which was battled out by some of Kerry’s most talented shearers – there was an eye on the international stage this year with the two test competitions: Ireland v Northern Ireland and Ireland v Scotland, with teams led into the stage by piper, Sile Uí Luasa.

The announcement of the Irish teams for next year’s Golden Shears World Championship also added to the excitement at this year’s event, and the Irish machine and blade teams will be led by team manger Denis O’Sullivan, from Bonane who narrowly missed out on a place as a shearer on this year’s team.

All photos by Sinead Kelleher. Sheer delight: shearers in action at the ‘Top of Coom’ sheep-shearing on Sunday.

Playing in the wook were some of the youngest helpers at the ‘Top of Coom’ shearing on Sunday.

Evan, Nora-Ann, Chloe, Amy and Anthony O’Connor from Beaufort having a family day out at the ‘Top of Coom’ shearing on Sunday.

Cool guys: Leon O’Neill, Daniel Creedon, Ciaran Foley and Declan Kelleher happily pose for pictures at the ‘Top of Coom’.

Jamie Riordan and Micheál Browne were all smiles at the ‘Top of Coom’ shearing on Sunday.