farmers – WrookieSchU

The Balmoral Show is a four day extravaganza that happens every year in Northern Ireland (with a break during covid times). It is the official agricultural event in the country and also the oldest, with the first show having been held in 1872. It offers the chance for people all over the country to come together and be involved in farming exhibitions, competitions, championships , sample local cuisine and check out the farming fashion.

As a child and teenager, I had been to this show many times. As part of the school curriculum, our classes of pupils were taken here yearly for a day out. We all loved it, the chance to roam free (from teachers) through all the stalls on offer, see the variety of animals on show, marvel at the sheer amount of tractors, see what it is like to a part of the farming world, try the different food stalls and collect as many freebies as we could, mostly pens!! (we would see who could obtain the most).

I had always wanted to return as an adult and see if the magic was still alive and to my delight, it really was! The event was previously held in the King’s Hall but is now held outside Lisburn at the Eikon Exhibition Centre at Balmoral Park. Luckily for us we could walk to the venue and I was super grateful as the traffic was pretty busy and you had to pay for parking (crazy considering the ticket prices were £25 each). On display were numerous stalls with local food, gifts, clothing etc. We were able to watch some sheep competitions, dressage, horse jumping and quad bike jumping. There was so much more on offer and with your map (given on entry), you can plan your day with what you want to see and do.

Have a look at my highlights below from spending the day at the Balmoral Show and please let me know if you have anything like this where you are from or would something like this be of interest to you. I would love to know!

I can’t say I know much about tractors but I do find them very impressive to look at. In this country, farmers take real pride in their tractors, it’s their way of life, not just a machine to complete their work.

This young handler of sheep competition was fantastic and probably the number one highlight of the day for me. The young handlers were competing with each other to be the best handler of their sheep. I have a few videos on my Instagram stories (N.Ireland) if you’re keen to see it in action.

I loved seeing the different varieties of sheep, some of which appeared like mini cows!

Using my map to navigate this giant space, looking for what to do next. Thousands of people attend every year but it’s very well laid out and there’s lots of space to manoeuvre. It was great just to be able to walk around and soak up the atmosphere, it certainly helped that the sun was out in force.

Our walk home through the countryside was beautiful, even with tired feet!

Thank you all for taking the time to read my post, I was delighted to be able to attend the show this year and thrilled to share a little of my day with you all. Have a great week everyone.

Wayne ✌🏽