THE Irish show world has lost one of its most distinctive voices and brilliant minds with the recent loss, following a short illness, of Liam Meade.

Born in 1940, Liam was, as he said himself, a “war baby” and divided his childhood summers between staying with relatives on their Ballinacurra farm and helping his father Patrick, the Limerick Show Society secretary, with preparations for the annual show. All this, plus his memories of watching mares, replaced by tractors on Irish farms, being loaded at the Limerick docks bound for English factories, formed his lifelong interest in horses, agricultural shows and preserving traditional bloodlines.

Liam travelled the world’s oceans, which led to his anecdote of “stopping off in Hawaii for a haircut”, during his Merchant Navy years and after his return to Limerick, worked as a LIT lecturer in radio communications.

His analytical mind produced outstanding All Ireland final commentaries and an in-depth knowledge of pedigrees and conformation. This served him well when he spotted Edermine Berry at the sales. She produced the Cheltenham bumper winner Dunguib whose achievements garnered his many proud breeder awards.

Liam was also a steady hand on the helm when during his chairmanship of the Irish Shows Association (2000-2001) the country faced a major crisis during the Foot and Mouth outbreak and the tough decision to cancel shows in 2001 had to be made.

A keen golfer, lifelong rugby fan and classical music lover, Liam was also a scrupulously fair judge. As his good friend Gerry Mullins, who accompanied Liam to bloodstock sales and shows, said during his lovely tribute at the funeral Mass, Liam’s advice to the fledgling judge was to always “judge the horse and not the exhibitor”.

Nor, as Gerry also mentioned, was Liam one to suffer fools gladly, but another role for this proud Limerick City native and family man was, in recent years, as a doting grandfather.

His funeral Mass had Liam’s meticulous planning stamped all over as many of his friends gathered at the landmark St Joseph’s Church to bid Liam, as he would say in his trademark closing lines at an All Ireland final, “safe home”.

In another fitting tribute, his colleagues from the Limerick Show Society and Irish Shows Association formed a guard of honour outside the church.

To his wife Eileen, Elaine, Brian, Billy and Trish and his beloved grandchildren and family, our deepest sympathies. S.F.