The Northern Ireland Aberdeen Angus Club held its annual Summer Championship at the 103rd Clogher Valley Show on July 26.
This year’s show was judged by Scotsman Ian Watson, owner of the 50-cow Kersquarter Herd based at Kelso in Roxburghshire and current junior vice-president of the Aberdeen Angus Cattle Society.
It was a red-letter day for the Parke family from Strabane, as they notched up the senior female, exhibitor-bred and overall supreme championships with Coolermoney Frances T703, and the junior male championship with five-month-old calf Coolermoney Ragnor Z322.
Six-year-old Coolermoney Frances T703 was the winner of the cow class, and kept impressing the judge throughout the day to claim a number of other top awards. She was sired by Hallington Edition M362 and her dam was the privately purchased Lough Erne Frances J014.
She was a first-prize winner at Balmoral Show in May, and breed champion at Omagh Show a few weeks ago. This much-admired young cow was accompanied in the showring by her February-born bull calf Coolermoney Frankie Z311.
Adrian and Graeme Parke founded in the Coolermoney prefix in 1996, and run a herd of eight pedigree cows.
Their junior male champion was five-month-old bull calf Coolermoney Ragnor Z322. He is by Rawburn Boss Hogg N630, and bred from Coolermoney Rosita J003.
“This bull calf came from a strong class of six. Congratulations to the Park family on their first-class presentation and winning first, second and third in the class,” added the judge.
Claiming the reserve overall championship was the senior male award winner, and reserve exhibitor-bred champion, Glenbrae Red Mr Kayo Y536 exhibited by William and Jane Dodd, and sons Jamie and Lewis, from Saintfield.
The 16-month-old ET bull was sired by Mosshall Red Evolution P353, and is out of the Scottish-bred Gannon Red Miss Kayo S697 – one of 15 cows in the herd. He has won an array of awards during the show season.
The Dodd family also scooped the reserve senior female championship with the September 2021 Glenbrae Red Mouse X236. A Mosshall Red Forrest V018 daughter, she is bred from Gannon Red Mouse U173.
Rounding off a successful day for the Dodd family was the reserve junior female champion, Glenbrae Red Miss Kayo Y477, a full ET sister to the reserve supreme champion.
Home Farm Erne Y802, bred Fintan Keown, Belleek, was the winner of the reserve senior male championship.
Sired by Haymount War Smith R578, his dam was the former Pedigree Calf Fair breed champion Home Farm Ebony Stunner S087 – one of 10 cows in the herd. Home Farm Erne Y802 was junior champion, male and reserve supreme champion at Balmoral Show in May.
The reserve junior male champion was Ard Dubh Premier Y617, a Dillon New Holland son, bred by Mena McCloskey from Dungiven. Born in November 2022, he is an ET son of Mogeely Paula V630.
Securing the junior female Angus championship was Island Farm Pretty Y145, a seventeen-month-old Stouphill Marcus Prince U251 son, bred by Kevin McOscar, Cookstown.
Speaking after the event, judge Ian Watson said: “Thank you to the Northern Ireland club for inviting me to judge. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, despite the persistent rain.
“There was a fantastic show of cattle, and I’d like to commend the exhibitors on a great effort.
“The show was dominated by younger animals, and the heifer classes were exceptionally strong, with up to nine individual entries in one class. There was great quality throughout, and the top-placed animals in every class are full of potential for the future.
“The champion is a terrific young cow, and is working hard rearing her bull calf. She was a very worthy winner, and later in the day I was pleased to see her winning the reserve interbreed beef championship,” he added.
