A Day in the Life - Róisín McGrath, Ballyfoyle Agricultural Show

Róisín McGrath was born and bred in Ballyfoyle, County Kilkenny. She lives there today with her mum Anne, working on the farm before and after the day job at Goresbridge Horse Sales.

I met Róisín two weeks ago at the launch of Ballyfoyle Agricultural Show, where she was congratulated on several occasions for all the dedicated voluntary work she does on many committees. She is one of the youngest committee members for Ballyfoyle Agricultural Show and is the newest board member of the Irish Show Association (ISA).

Board members of the Irish Show's Association (L-R) Róisín McGrath (Eastern region Rep), Shane Maher (ISA Eastern Secretary) & Freda Kinnarney (ISA National Vice-President)

Following her leaving cert, Róisín completed the BHSAI coaching exams in Thomasotown’s Grennan Equestrian. She also graduated with an honour’s degree in Equine Science in UL back in 2021. Here is a glimpse into Róisín’s very busy world of agriculture shows…

Róisín, you are the youngest board member on the Irish Show Association's board. What does the role entail?

The Irish Shows Association is the umbrella organisation for agricultural shows in Ireland, including Northern Ireland.

I have just stepped onto the national board this year as a representative from the Eastern region. I am only finding my feet at this point but enjoying it so far. There are four board members in the Eastern region. We attend several board meetings throughout the year to discuss matters arising, competitions, insurance, and government funding.

So far, we have organised safety seminars and think-tank meetings to bring the committees in this region together to trash out problems that arise from parking to administration. We also share our ideas and successes to help one another.

I am the point of contact for four shows. So, if there are any queries or they are looking for support, I am there. I will also be attending several agricultural shows this summer as an ISA representative. I believe this will be very worthwhile to see how other shows are run and to take home ideas and suggestions to my own local show in Ballyfoyle.  

Róisín at her graduation from UL in 2021

You highly recommend young people to get involved in voluntary committees. Why?

Voluntary committees, from all industries I believe, struggle to encourage the younger generation to get involved. Life has become a lot faster paced and demanding for everyone. It is difficult to make the commitment, but I feel the time used to volunteer is invaluable. There are so many opportunities to get involved and you gain so much in return.

From my own experience, I have learned a lot about communication, teamwork and digital media which will be invaluable to add to my CV. Also, a lot of organisations have seasonal busy periods. For instance, in the case of agricultural shows, it is the lead up to the event. Two-thirds of the year it is very quiet, so you are not committing to a 35-hour week voluntary role!

At the Ballyfoyle Agricultural Show

Ballyfoyle Agricultural Show was established 29 years ago and has gone from strength to strength. There's something very special about this country show, so what's the secret of its success?

Our chairperson Ann Callanan is the driving force of this success. She has a great way of getting people involved from the community who would not necessarily have an equine/agricultural background. Particularly the week leading up to show day; carloads of families and locals dawn the showgrounds to help erect marquees, put up signage, set up the tea tent etc.

I also feel that as a committee we have a great balance of people from different equestrian disciplines along with those involved fulltime in agriculture. This ensures that every care is taken to have the site at its best for competition on the day. We are lucky to have fantastic grounds and as a committee, we work cohesively to bring all the different sections together.

Our focus is to run a successful day and raise as much funds as possible for the Carlow/Kilkenny Homecare Team, Castlecomer Day Care and a number of local worthy charities.

What can we expect to see this year at the Ballyfoyle Show on June 25?

This year’s show is shaping up to be a bumper event! On the equine side of the event, we have three showjumping arenas with suitable classes for everyone. An exciting addition this year is the inclusion of the Mervue Equine league culminating in a 1.35m Grand Prix. We have several showing rings from ridden horses, ridden ponies, inhand/youngstock ring and working hunter.

This year we are really growing the spectator’s side of the event and giving the whole family the opportunity to take part in something on the day. We have a home industries tent which includes baking competitions, home produce and flower arranging competitions for adults and children. In another marquee will be the children’s arts, crafts and Lego competitions.

We will have our popular local lead rein competition where children under eight take part on their ponies and show their riding skills to the judge. Along with this, is the Ballyfoyle Dog Show with approximately ten categories to enter including Fancy Dress, Ballyfoyle’s Got Talent & Best Rescue.

There will also be several traders with artisan food stalls, crafts & machinery displays. Children’s entertainment and local live music to round off the day.

There are 132 ISA shows around Ireland. However, they are under threat as they find it increasingly hard to get insurance. Is the future of the rural show in jeopardy?

Yes, there are 132 agricultural shows affiliated with the ISA. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to get insurance cover. Two underwriters pulled out of Ireland this year. The ISA national secretary, Jim Harrisson, has worked tirelessly with insurance companies to provide us with a comprehensive policy this year.

It has hugely increased the administration and paperwork for shows with health and safety training, risk assessments, site maps, health and safety inspections. The list goes on! It is paramount that we have everything in order to keep our competitors, spectators, and volunteers safe.

For the day job you work for Goresbridge Horse Sales, which is Ireland's biggest sport horse sales for showjumping and eventing horses and ponies. On sales days you don't come up for air, it's full on. 

It comes in waves throughout the day of sales like in many businesses but yes, it is fast paced and extremely busy, which is a great way to be. The job is so varied on the days of sales. I could be answering vendor or purchaser queries over the counter, filing veterinary certificates, bid spotting on the rostrum with the auctioneers or inputting sold lots on the system.

I love the buzz of the sales days, particularly being in the hub of the current trade. I enjoy buying and turning over the odd Connemara pony each year myself, so I am lucky to be in the thick of the market.

As a result of Covid, this 56-year-old business had to go on-line. This has worked in favour of Goresbridge Horse Sales.

I’m sure for most businesses, COVID forced their hand to embrace the power of online platforms. It has been a fantastic asset and success to Goresbridge. The sale is now a hybrid event with onsite and online bidding facilities.

Goresbridge has always had a strong clientele of UK, European and American purchasers but since the online facility has been introduced, it has greatly opened up the opportunity for even more overseas buyers.

A greater emphasis is placed on our online gallery platform where vendors submit photos and videos in advance of sale day to allow potential purchasers to preview lots. I work directly on this gallery in the lead up to the sale. It is fantastic to see such an uptake from vendors to utilise this platform.

You work on the farm at home with your mother Anne. How do you fit that in around everything else?

The animals come first here, they are fed and watered before we are! I suppose it is a routine and the work just must be done. We both have our own jobs on the farm to share the load! It can mean early mornings and late evenings particularly in winter, but we get such a pleasure out of rearing our own stock.

Is there any downtime for Róisín McGrath?

I consider the horses my down time! I am very lucky to have come up through the grades in the pony club which was a great foundation, so it’s hard to avoid the horses! Both myself and my mother actively ride and compete. I purchase a couple of young Connemara ponies each year, produce and sell them on. I get great enjoyment out of starting their education.

But to answer your question, a COVID purchase of mine was an outdoor pizza oven so if there is even a glimmer of sunshine, I am frantically trying to get dough made in order to have pizzas in the evening!

If you are interested in sponsoring a class or bringing a trade stand, please contact ballyfoyleshow@gmail.com.