True friends are hard to find
IT wasn’t just the horse jumping fences that reached new heights in Blennerville on Sunday, with one of the villages most beloved annual events drawing its biggest crowd yet.
Thirty-nine years ago, Blennerville held its first Pony and Agricultural Show. This year, Chairman of the show Tim Hurley said the forty - year - mark celebrations are already in full swing ahead of next year, with the successful new additions to this year’s show.
“It went so well, and the crowds were way up – it’s amazing what a few additions to the day can do,” Tim said.
“There was an extra field this year. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked across the two fields at one stage – they were both completely full of people and activities.
“We had the usual pony classes, and it’s amazing how the event keeps on evolving to include more activities.
“We had cattle and sheep classes, the cattle were a new addition this year. There were also indoor stands added this year, with ICA baking demonstrations. The Bonny Baby show is always a joy, and of course we had a dog show with some wonderful furry participants.”
Not only are the committee members and the residents of Blennerville starting to celebrate the many years that the show has been held, they are also celebrating a founding member who manages to keep the original magic in the show every year.
“Next year is going to be very special, it will be 40 years since the first show. We have a committee member who founded the show – the president, John Brown. He is 80 and still has a vital role, every year since it started.
“You can’t beat experience and that’s what John has. But, we also need the youth included, as they bring so much.
“For me, it’s the children’s entertainment that always stands out, from face painting to the child baking competition. When you make children a centre of an activity, it brings families to the event and involves everyone, which is what we always want the day to be – a day for all the family.
“We’d like to thank all our sponsorship, advertisers and especially, everyone who helped out or came to support the day. Thankfully, the support just keeps getting stronger and the crowds keep getting larger. We very much look forward to next year.”
The Paddy Hurley Memorial Cup was retained by John Dineen of west Cork, the winner of the “Supreme Champion Pony” event both last year and this year.
The day was also launched by TD Michael Healy Rae.