It was a week to remember for the Devine brothers and their families as their Brownhill herd was placed on the big stage at the 155th Balmoral Show in Lisburn, Co Antrim.

The show is the centrepiece on the Northern Ireland showing calendar and championships are hard to come by at the Antrim venue.

Their March 2022-born heifer, sired by Newhouse Big Al and out of the homebred Brownhill Mo, looked picturesque as she strutted her stuff on the famous cattle lawns at the Eikon centre all week.

She caught judge Kevin Thomas’s eye the moment she entered the ring on Wednesday morning and made her way to the best in show by evening.

Standing in the reserve position was Harry Heron’s Falleninch Sancerre. The May 2021-born son of Barnsford Ferney was out of Fallenhinch Nigelle and bred by Stirling-based Andrew Hornall. Sancerre was purchased at the February 2023 Stirling bull sales for 10,000 gns (€11,494).

Reserve male champion went to a young bull with Sligo and Donegal roots. Victor Chesnutt and Ribert Beattie purchased Crossane4 Unique ET, a January-born son of Goldstar Echo at the Irish Charolais Cattle Society premier sale in Elphin last March for €11,000. He was bred by the Sligo based McGovern brothers who were also showing this year in Balmoral.

He was out of a cow bred by Donegal breeder Edward Vaughan, Portnason Hermonie, which was sired by Thrunton Bon Jovi.

Standing in the reserve junior male position was another bull from the northwest. This time it was Patrick Gallagher’s Magheramore Ultan who was sired by Clenagh Lyle. The February 2023 bull was out of Magheramore Olympia. This bull was bred by Donegal based Michael Grant.

Standing a close second to the champion in the female championship line-up was the Connolly family’s reserve female champion, Brigadoon Utopia, born in April 2023, by Newhouse Maxamus.

She also took reserve in the John Currie Perpetual Challenge Cup and was junior female champion and reserve overall junior champion.

The reserve junior female champion was the Heron family’s Loughriscouse Urania, a February 2023-born Goldies Icon daughter who, as a calf, had stood alongside her dam Loughriscouse Rosalva to take the reserve overall champion title in Balmoral May 2023.

Winning the Orage Perpetual Challenge Cup for the best cow or best cow heifer, presented by Mrs G Orage in memory of her late husband W Norman Orage, was Loughriscouse Opium from also from the Herons.

She was a July 2018-born Whitecliffe James daughter out of Hollywell Latin.

Standing reserve was the Connolly’s Brigadoon Paradise born in July 2019 by Newhouse Maxamus out of Brigadoon Lolly.

The Connolly family also won the group of three animals that are the property of one exhibitor and standing reserve was the Herons of Loughriscouse.