IT was the year in which Ireland’s agricultural shows received a vital lifeline from the new Department for Rural and Community Affairs in the form of a €812,000 investment package. That timely pre-Christmas announcement by the new Department’s Minister Michael Ring brought the curtain down on another season of 2017 champions.

The close ties many farming families have with horse breeding and agricultural shows was yet again illustrated when Junior Minister for Agriculture Andrew Doyle, from such a family, launched the Irish Shows Association yearbook back in March when he spoke about this link.