Glorious sunshine brought a record crowd to the Tinahely Show
Mark Winterbottom with his champion Gold River Axle, a Parthenaise champion, with competition judge Lee Fitzgerald Photos: Michael O'Rourke Photography
THOUSANDS of people from across the country descended on Wicklow County Agricultural Showgrounds for the recent Tinahely Show, which was enjoyed in glorious sunshine by a record-breaking crowd.
There was something for everyone in attendance, with a packed programme of entertainment, crafts, food, trade stands and, most importantly, agricultural competitions.
Opening the show, minister for agriculture, food and the marine Martin Heydon said: “It’s a great honour to officially open the 2026 Tinahely Agricultural Show, a flagship event that continues to celebrate the strength, innovation and community spirit of Irish agriculture and rural traditions.”
Sustainability was a key theme this year, with a number of measures in place to support Tinahely’s ambition of becoming the most sustainable agricultural show in the country by 2030. These included recycling stations and colour-coded waste sorting points, as well as deposit return recycling bins. Volunteer ‘recycling rangers’ equipped with mobile recycling backpacks were also stationed around the showgrounds to help visitors recycle correctly.
showcasing the best of sustainability, sport, food, music and, of course, farming.
Minister Heydon also marked the start of a five-year biodiversity project with a special tree-planting ceremony, during which native Irish trees were planted on a new acre of woodland on the showgrounds. He said the initiative demonstrated how local shows can champion sustainability, preserve heritage and inspire positive change across rural Ireland.
The ‘Best of Wicklow’ exhibition proved a major hit again, with crowds flocking to the stand for Wicklow Naturally’s cooking demonstrations and the young sustainable chef competition, where talented young chefs showcased innovative dishes celebrating local produce and reducing food waste.
Also in attendance were members of the victorious Wicklow senior footballers, fresh from their Tailteann Cup triumph at Croke Park.
Visitors had the opportunity to be photographed with the trophy alongside Tinahely GAA’s own representative on the team Eoin Darcy, as well as panel members captain Dean Healy, Mark Jackson, Eoin Murtagh and Malachy Stone.
It was another successful year for one of Ireland’s best-loved agricultural shows, showcasing the best of sustainability, sport, food, music and, of course, farming.
