Winners of 5 X €1,000 Hereford Agricultural Education Bursaries Announced despite the Ploughing Championships being Cancelled!

The Irish Hereford Breed Society, in collaboration with Slaney Foods International & Lidl Ireland have awarded 5 bursaries of €1,000 each to 5 successful candidates. The activity was supposed to be held at the 87th National Ploughing Championships but unfortunately had to be relocated to the Tullamore Court Hotel shortly after it was announced that the Ploughing Championships were cancelled on Wednesday. The programme, which was launched earlier in the Spring, created wide interest from prospective and aspiring agricultural students wishing to go to Agricultural College or study Agriculture at 3rd level in the Republic of Ireland this year. Participants had to submit an assignment entitled:

Young Farmers’ Challenges & Opportunities in Beef Farming.

A team of adjudicators selected ten qualifiers to attend for an interview yesterday at the Irish Hereford Breed Society Stand. Despite the Ploughing Championships being cancelled, all 10 finalists together with their families arrived at the Tullamore Court Hotel for their interviews. These interviews and the selection of the final 5 winners was carried out by Matt Dempsey (Chairman of the Agricultural Trust) who is very well known and highly regarded within the Irish Agricultural Sector. The winners of this year’s 5 X €1000 Hereford Agricultural Education Bursaries are:

• Anna Jacob – Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
• Ciaran Moore – Tullamore, Co. Offaly
• Diarmúid McDonald – Barntown, Co. Wexford
• Eoin McCormack – Donaskeigh, Co. Tipperary
• Niall Woods – Drogheda, Co. Louth

Well done also to the 5 runners up:

• Aideen Barry – Carlow, Co. Carlow
• Eugene Costello – Moate, Co. Westmeath
• Neil Maher – Birr, Co. Offaly
• Orla Hayes – Kanturk, Co. Cork
• Sarah Donnelly – Stradone, Co. Cavan

Front Row L to R: Orla Hayes (Co. Cork), Aideen Barry (Co. Carlow), Anna Jacob (Co. Wexford), Sarah Donnelly (Co. Cavan), Diarmuid McDonald (Co. Wexford), Neil Maher (Co. Offaly)

Back Row L to R: Eugene Costello (Co. Westmeath), Ciaran Moore (Co. Offaly), Niall Woods (Co. Louth), Eoin McCormack (Co. Tipperary)

“Together with our partners we are very pleased with the response to the competition and with the efforts of the young aspiring agricultural enthusiasts who participated. We wish the five winners and the five runners up all of whom reached a very high standard every success in their chosen career path.” commented Henry Dudley – Vice President of the Irish Hereford Breed Society.

The challenges arising for agriculture into the future will require increased education particularly in Agricultural Science. The environmental challenges facing the industry are many and varied depending on where in the world food is produced and where the world’s population is concentrated. We are confident that this competition has succeeded in highlighting the great need for further education in agriculture to meet the needs of a growing population.