Ballygarvan Agricultural Festival Is Back This Saturday

(JJ Hurley)

(Credit Ballygarvan Agricultural Show)

The Ballygarvan Agricultural Show Festival will take place on Saturday, 22nd August 2026, at the Ballygarvan GAA Grounds by kind permission. First held in 2013, the annual community event is traditionally held on the fourth Saturday of August.

Speaking about the upcoming festival, Ann O'Mahony said, 'What attracts people is that the community gets a chance to meet their neighbours, chat, and mingle with people while attending an event. There is no main attraction as such, but we do try to introduce something different each year.

All the animals are an attraction to most now, as fewer people are involved in farming today. There is hopefully something for every member of the family, from grandparents to children and parents. There will be the usual children's rides, as well as a cup of tea in the show Tea Rooms.'

The event features a full schedule of traditional agricultural and local competitions:

Equine and Show Jumping: Pony classes and show jumping competitions both begin early at 10am.

Arts, Crafts, and Baking: Judging starts at 10.30am. The section features cakes, flower arrangements, baskets of vegetables, and crafts created by all age groups. There is a large entry from local children, including students from Ballygarvan National School.

Poultry Section: Judging begins at 10.30am. This year features an increased number of entries compared to recent years, with strong local representation and many egg entries.

Cattle Judging: Starting at 11.30am, judging covers two sections: Beef and Dairy. The classes begin with the Young Handlers, which features a particularly large Dairy entry this year.

Further Events:* The afternoon schedule includes a Vintage Display, a Dog Show at 1pm, a Working Sheep Dog Demonstration, Sheep Judging at 2pm, and Kiddies Novelty Races at 3pm.

In the sheep classes, competitors will vie for the local Butcher's Lamb trophy in the confined class, while the Champion Sheep will be awarded the Garrett Forrest Memorial Perpetual Cup.

Ann O'Mahony said, 'It is a community event benefiting many local organisations through charitable donations. It requires planning, dedication, and commitment from the committee members and a large number of volunteers. We thank them all most sincerely.'

(Credit Ballygarvan Agricultural Show)