Pictures: Spot anyone you know at the Woodland Show? - Kilkenny Life

 The showgrounds also featured carved giants and fairy houses from Special Branch Carvers in Waterford and speed carving competitions saw carvers go head to head to producer smaller carvings throughout the show.  

The Craft Market featured artisans from Kilkenny, Carlow and Kildare and outside in the courtyard, Pintofplane Eoin Reardon, Fiach Rua Timbercraft, Mícheál Potterton and Living Longbows Jack Pinson demonstrated their woodcraft skills all weekend. Machinery and equipment displays included John Deere, Ponsse, and Komatsu harvesters and forwarders, Logosol mobile saws from the Saw Doctor, processors, harvesting heads, tractors and chainsaws from Portnahinch Products, Lyons and Barton, Oloe Mac and Con Little. 

 On Sunday, Ciaran Nugent, Regional Forestry Inspector opened the day, followed by speakers: Grace Jones, Teagasc Research;  John Sherlock, Sherlogs Firewood; Maureen Kilgore, Agroforestry Forum; Joe Gowran, Woodlands of Ireland; Aodán Kealey, Murray Timber Group, Denise Whelan, History of Kilkea Castle and  Michael Somers, Teagasc, who closed Sunday's proceedings with a tune on the accordian.

Irish Wood Producers announced a monthly clinic to support members and new forest owners at the show closing.  Irish Wood Producers would like to thank everyone who contributed to the show through talks, information stands and demos;  the staff of Kilkea Castle, all the forestry students and graduates who staffed the event and to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for supporting this two day celebration of all things forestry.  

BELOW: Seamus Dunne, launching the show