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Donegal sheep shearer goes for
gold
05.05.11
DONEGAL'S top sheep
shearer Ivan Scott is again going for gold at the
2011 All Ireland and International Sheep Shearing
Championships next month.
Scott, from Kilmacrennan, swept the boards when the
top event was held in Burt two years ago.
He is the current All Ireland and International Open
Champion and is regarded as one of the country’s top
shearers. He will compete with people from all over
Australia, New Zealand, mainland Europe, Ireland and
Britain during the two-day competition in Kilkenny’s
Cillin Hill Exhibition Centre on June 4 and June 5.
The event which enjoyed a heat wave on the Grianan
Estate in May 2009, is expected to attract more than
10,000 people to Kilkenny over the June Bank Holiday
Weekend.
"Ivan is the only shearer from the Southern
Hemisphere to achieve a world record when in
December 2008 he sheared 736 lambs in eight hours.
He is regarded among his peers as one of Ireland’s
greatest ever shearers," said a spokesperson for the
2011 organisers. |
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The festival will also
feature Deirdre Harte and 15 knitting enthusiasts
who are involved in the Interreg Knitting Project.
This involves the shearing of eighteen Zwartable
sheep, the washing, carding and spinning of their
wool and finally the knitting and felting of the
wool to create an exhibition piece to be displayed
at the event.
Meanwhile, IFA president, John Bryan said the sheep
sector could play a pivotal role in Irish growth. |
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Ivan Scott is congratulated by the
then Tánaiste Mary Coughlan in Burt in May 2009. |
“This event will be
worth over €5 million to Kilkenny. Agriculture is an
industry capable of turning our economy around,
getting growth going again.
“Organising this international event takes a lot of
effort and the timing couldn’t be better for the
sheep industry. There is a renewed confidence in
agriculture and the sheep sector is doing well. For
the first time in years a realistic price is being
paid for lambs.
“People are beginning to look at the sheep sector as
an area where there is employment and opportunities
and the chance of making a living. This will be one
of the biggest industry events for a long time and I
am very confident it will be an outstanding
success,” said Mr Bryan. For more details, visit
www.sheepshearing2011.ie . |
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