IRISH SETTER IS BEST IN THE GARDEN OF IRELAND !!

Every now and again a show comes along that really captures the imagination of the exhibitors and so it was with the South Wicklow Canine Club 10th Year IKC Affiliation Celebratory Show held in the superb Coral Leisure Centre in Arklow, County Wicklow. The committee of the South Wicklow Club had put in a magnificent effort to offer as many specials and great prizes for the exhibitors and special mention must go to Show Secretary Theresa Power who did Trojan work in organising the event. Arklow is less than an hour’s drive from the capital city and such is the beautiful nature of the sights and countryside on view on the drive to the town, that Wicklow is commonly referred to as the ‘garden of Ireland’. This venue must be one of the best venues around for a dog show as the Coral Leisure Centre sits just on the beach on the north of the town and has inviting walks for owners and their dogs just beside the venue. There were well mown grassed rings outside the main hall with the far side of the venue playing host to the Agility and Obedience rings where the judges had attracted strong entries. Inside the hall area three rings played host to breed judging and these rings later became the Best in Show ring where a large audience watched Paul Lawless make his decisions. It is a great plus for the club to be able to secure the venue with the help of the Arklow and District Council and having been here for a few years now the club work hard to keep the venue and surrounds in good order something which is appreciated by the exhibitors and of course the Council.

The committee of Chairperson Stella Bracken, Show Secretary Theresa Power, Treasurer Maureen Doyle and Committee members Dolores Somers, Michael Parle and Deidre Scarfe had brought together all the essentials for an enjoyable show. There were China Keepsakes for the Best in Show and Group winners, the Stakes class winners and also winners in the Agility and Obedience. The Best in Show winner also took home a voucher for Sunday Lunch for two at any Brennan Hotel in Ireland. A good down to earth prize that will come in handy for any exhibitor. There was a great range of Connolly’s Redmills Food for the main winners and the superb Inbhearmor Perpetual Trophies presented by Theresa Power were some of the nicest trophies on show this year at any event on the show calender. Inbhearmor, for your information, is the Irish name for Arklow and it is also Theresa’a affix for her Samoyed Kennel.

The show also had the added attraction of having been allowed Double Points for the Junior Diploma and it was well received by those who are chasing points for exhibits. Each group winner also received as a prize, a copy of the Euro Show Dogs 2009 Diary which were kindly presented by Paul and Jean Lawless. There were Best of Breed medals and also medals from first to third in the classes and even a free raffle!

Paul Lawless was the Best in Show and main Stakes classes judge and he had a strong line up of group winners to choose from. As a matter of interest and as an indication of how attractive this show was to exhibitors, two of the group winners were Northern Ireland owned and had traveled quite a distance to take part. Paul’s Best in Show winner was one of those exhibitors from up north in the form of Cathy Loughlin’s Irish Red Setter Rohanmor You Were Made For Me who had been sent through by Maura Gettings from Group 7. This win continues a great run for Cathy who has had an impressive last twelve months with her charges at championship level.

Lynda Matthews had another good day when her Junior Champion of Champions event winner Collooney That’s The One at Ailesbury took the Group 10 winners rosette and then went on to be Reserve BIS under Paul. Lynda’s well known CH/GB CH/INT CH Collooney Hes The One topped the Champion Stakes from a strong class.

The Keopas Boxer Kennel of John and Patricia Kehoe are a successful outfit in a number of breeds but today it was the Boxer puppy female Keopas Cast A Spell who received a wave of Paul’s magic wand as he chose her to take the number one rosette in the Puppy Stakes.

All eyes were on the Best in Show ring before the group winners took their place for the main award when actor Pat Nolan from the Irish television soap Fair City took to the carpeted main ring to judge the Dog I’D Like To Take Home class which had attracted a great entry of 33 dogs of all shapes and sizes from right across the groups. Pat’s character in the TV programme, local newspaper Editor Barry O’Hanlon has had his fair share of big story lines recently in the popular soap and he was very deliberate in how he chose his winners asking each exhibitor a little about their dog and really taking time to find out about the entrants. He proved a popular visitor to the show and many exhibitors were delighted to chat to him after the judging indeed he invited some of of thenm back to McCoys for a sociable drink ! Well done to Theresa and her team on bringing a well known personality to the show for the day and well done Pat on his choices in the class.

Paul Lawless of the very successful Revloch Show Kennels had the honour of judging Best in Show at the Celebratory show held in the Coral Leisure Centre and his South Wicklow Open Show Best in Show winner was the Group 7 winner, Cathy Loughlin’s Irish Red Setter Rohanmor You Were Made For Me.

There were superb prizes at the show including the specially made Inbhearmor Best in Show Trophy presented by Secretary Theresa Power as Cathy Loughlin and her BIS winning Irish Setter accept the honours.

Reserve Best in Show at the South Wicklow Canine Club under Paul Lawless was Lynda and Colin Matthews Whippet Collooney Thats The One at Ailesbury who had been sent through from Group 10 by PJ O’Donovan.

In recognition of her superb hard work for the club, Show Secretary Theresa Power was presented with a bouquet of flowers from the other members of this dedicated committee.

There was an overall entry of 32 in the South Wicklow Canine Club Puppy Stakes and Paul Lawless chose the Boxer Keopas Cast a Spell who had topped the Bitch section with an entry of 19. She is owned by John and Patricia Kehoe from not too far down the road in Ferns, County Wexford.

Louis Hogan and John Yek’s Pekingese Pearlstone Tai Chi was another almost local exhibit who had a good day at the South Wicklow Canine Club when he topped the Puppy Dogs Stakes class in an entry of 13 under Paul Lawless.

Group 1 : Mary McNally was in charge of the Group 1 breeds and for her Group Winner she chose Joe and Brenda Doyle’s Shetland Sheepdog Daliyhaa Secret Weapon who had come through as Mary’s BOB from the Open Dog class and who was bred by Tom Wall.

Group 2 : Jennifer Kealy of the Kealdale Airedales and Irish Soft Coated Wheatens was the Group 2 breeds and Group judge and for her winner she opted for the Bernese Mountain Dog, Andrew and Sally Murphy’s Kinelarty Ben Lyting The Way. Taking the runner up spot was a popular win for the Saint Bernard Best of Breed winner Deelberne Alfred owned by Justine Greer.

Group 3 : Kelly Lawless of the Revloch Show Kennels was judging her first group at this level and she found her winner in Greene’s Staffordshire Bull Terrier Draughstaff Connavar who had earlier been BOB under Kelly.

Group 4 : Topping the Dachshund Group was Peter and Carolyn Wheatland's Smooth Haired Miniature Kinchville Civic at Pinedax who was the choice of PJ O’Donovan who judged all of the Dachshund varieties and a number of other groups on the day.

Group 5 : Mary McNally's choice in Group 5, the Spitz and Primitive Type Breeds, was Ann Kingston’s young Pomeranian from her Tullow based kennel, Glenvalley Wow Factor who came through the breed entry of seven.

Group 6 : Jennifer Kealy was centre ring for the scenthound breeds and for her winner she chose the Dalmatian owned by Gill Pavey. The King of The Fells Over Granardal is Gill’s latest winner.

Group 7 : Maura Gettings is well known for her Beechilawn German Wire Haired Pointers and Dobermann Pinschers owned in partnership with husband Seamus and at the South Wicklow Canine Club Open Show she had two groups and their breeds to judge. In Group 7 it was Maura who sent through the eventual Best in Show winner in Cathy Loughlin’s Irish Red Setter male Rohanmor You Were Made For Me.

Group 8 : Maura Gettings was also centre ring for Group 8 and her choice here was John and Margaret Baldwin’s Cocker Spaniel Laveris Midnight Lady.

Group 9 : PJ O’Donovan judged the breeds and group competition for the Toy and Companion dogs in Group 9. From a strong line up he chose Clodagh Fallon’s group winning Pug Clodana Lets Get Sirius who had been the Dublin Dog Show Society Group 9 winner back in December.

Group 10 : Taking the sighthound group winner’s rosette in Group 10 under PJ O’Donovan was Lynda and Colin Matthews Whippet Collooney That’s The One at Ailesbury. ‘Indy’ later went on to take Reserve Best in Show under Paul Lawless.

Show Secretary Theresa Power and Actor Pat Nolan, aka Barry O’Hanlon of RTE Soap Fair City, were delighted to take home their copies of the latest issue of Show Dogs Ireland Magazine and as Pat plays his part as Editor of the local Newspaper in the soap, he knows a Top publication when he sees one !!

Local man Gerry Kavanagh presented the Niall Kavanagh Memorial Terrier Group Trophy in memory of his son who had been involved in the Kerry Blue breed with the Edbrios Team at the time of his tragic death. 

Pat Nolan judged the Dog I’d Like To Take Home class at the South Wicklow Canine Club 10th Anniversary Affiliation Celebratory show and having gone over the entry he discussed breed points with Kelly Lawless (steward to the famous).

Before he judged his class actor Pat Nolan from Fair City posed with fellow judge and steward Kelly Lawless and Show Secretary Theresa Power.

Pat Nolan’s Runner Up in The Dog I’d Like To Take Home class was Jason and Karen Finlay’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Time to relax during The Dog I’d Like To Take Home class !

Pat Nolan’s winners in the The Dog I’d Like To Take Home class

Report and Photos by Paul Scanlon (Editor - Show Dogs Ireland)