It was a sunny Sunday in Athlone for the annual Athlone Agricultural Show.
The show saw a large number of exhibitors and spectators travel from across Ireland for the event.
There were classes for 12 different breeds on the day, including the all-Ireland championships for the Blue Texel, Dassenkop, Beltex and Hampshire Down breeds.
Blue Texel
There were record entries for the 2025 Blue Texel all-Ireland championships this year, with the lamb classes both seeing well over 30 entries.
The quality of the lambs in each class was extremely strong, making it a difficult task for the day's judge David Grey from the well-known Scottish-based Ettrick flock.
In the ewe lamb class, it was a standout ewe lamb named Diamond Jewel from Nigel Hogan that caught Grey’s eye to win the class.
Diamond Jewel was sired by an imported Belgian ram and her dam was Knockmult Harmony, the 2024 all-Ireland Blue Texel champion.
Jewel went on to follow in her mother’s footsteps and win female champion and overall champion Blue Texel.
Diamond Jewel, the all-Ireland champion Blue Texel and interbreed champion from Nigel Hogan. / Alfie Shaw
In the interbreed section, she went on to represent the breed extremely well, winning overall interbreed champion of Athlone Show.
Shannon Murphy then went on to take second and third in the large class. Her second-place ewe lamb then went on to claim reserve female champion and overall reserve champion Blue Texel.
In the ram lamb section, it was a massive ram lamb from Philip Crowe that took the reb ribbon. Named Powerful Jamaica, it was both powerful by name and powerful by nature.
Sired by Derg Jack in the Box, the 2024 NI Blue Texel Premier sale champion, Jamaica went on to secure the male championship title later in the day.
It was also Shannon Murphy from Monaghan who won second place in the ram lamb section with an extremely stylish lamb. This sharp lamb went on to claim reserve male champion.
Dassenkop
In the Dassenkop section, it was Nigel Hogan’s Diamond flock that rose to the top once again to claim overall champion, with a super shearling ewe named Diamond I’m Perfect 2.
I’m Perfect has been no stranger to all-Ireland success, having also won the all-Ireland championship Dassenkop title last year as a lamb.
Diamond I'm Perfect, the all-Ireland champion Dassenkop and interbreed reserve interbreed champion from Nigel Hogan. / Alfie Shaw
I’m Perfect was sired by the well-known Dassenkop ram Makavelli and is out of a homebred Diamond ewe.
This massive shearling ewe also had great interbreed success, taking the reserve championship spot, doing the double for Nigel Hogan's Diamond flock.
Hogan went on to win second and third in that same class and his second-prizewinning shearling ewe went on to win the reserve female championship.
In the ewe lamb class, it was Hogan who won first with a flashy ewe lamb, followed by Rachel Gallagher in second and then another two ewe lambs of Nigel's going on to take third and fourth.
Topping the males and winning overall reserve champion Dassenkop was Powerful Jeronimo, a standout ram lamb from Philip Crowe.
This well-marked lamb was a son of the highly admired Powerful flock stock ram 310 and his dam was also an import ewe from the Vissers flock.
Beltex
In the Beltex ring, sheep were brought from the length and breadth of Ireland to compete for an all-Ireland title.
The judge for the all-Ireland Beltex championships was another Scotsman, Stuart Wood from the well-known Woodies Beltex flock.
Both the quantity and quality of the Beltex sheep on show in Athlone was extremely high.
It was the shearling ewe from the Donegal-based Aileach View flock of Jack and Sean O’Brien that stood out from the crowd to first claim first place in a very competitive shearling ewe class, followed by winning the female championship and then to top it off being tapped out as the all-Ireland champion Beltex for 2025.
O’Brien also claimed reserve female championship and reserve overall championship with a a classy March-born ewe lamb named Aileach View Lust or Love.
Hampshire Down
The final of the four all-Ireland championships to take place in Athlone was the Hampshire Down championships.
It was won by a 2022-born Glenbrook ewe from Malcom and Hilary Workman. The powerful ewe was sired by Ashley Springbrook and was out of a Loughbrae Black Night ewe.
All-Ireland Hampshire Down champion from Malcolm and Hilary Workman and reserve champion from Michael White with judge Kevin McCarthy. / Sean McCarthy
This was also the Workman family’s first time competing at the Hampshire Down all-Irelands, having only set up their flock in 2024.
Overall reserve champion in the Hampshire Down section went to Micheal White with his strong ram lamb.
Jacob – Matthew Kehoe, Wexford. Beltex – Jack and Sean O’Brien, Donegal. Vendéen – Siobhan O’Connor, Meath. Suffolk – Alan Kilpatrick, Donegal. Zwartbles – Michael Comer, Galway. Charollais – Andrew Gilmore, Cavan. Rouge – Edwin Draper, Tipperary. Commercials – Damien Davoren, Clare.Texel – James and Philip Johnston, Donegal. Hampshire Down – Malcom and Hilary Workman, Monaghan. Blue Texel – Nigel Hogan, Carlow. Dassenkop – Nigel Hogan, Carlow.
It was a sunny Sunday in Athlone for the annual Athlone Agricultural Show.
The show saw a large number of exhibitors and spectators travel from across Ireland for the event.
There were classes for 12 different breeds on the day, including the all-Ireland championships for the Blue Texel, Dassenkop, Beltex and Hampshire Down breeds.
Blue Texel
There were record entries for the 2025 Blue Texel all-Ireland championships this year, with the lamb classes both seeing well over 30 entries.
The quality of the lambs in each class was extremely strong, making it a difficult task for the day's judge David Grey from the well-known Scottish-based Ettrick flock.
In the ewe lamb class, it was a standout ewe lamb named Diamond Jewel from Nigel Hogan that caught Grey’s eye to win the class.
Diamond Jewel was sired by an imported Belgian ram and her dam was Knockmult Harmony, the 2024 all-Ireland Blue Texel champion.
Jewel went on to follow in her mother’s footsteps and win female champion and overall champion Blue Texel.
Diamond Jewel, the all-Ireland champion Blue Texel and interbreed champion from Nigel Hogan. / Alfie Shaw
In the interbreed section, she went on to represent the breed extremely well, winning overall interbreed champion of Athlone Show.
Shannon Murphy then went on to take second and third in the large class. Her second-place ewe lamb then went on to claim reserve female champion and overall reserve champion Blue Texel.
In the ram lamb section, it was a massive ram lamb from Philip Crowe that took the reb ribbon. Named Powerful Jamaica, it was both powerful by name and powerful by nature.
Sired by Derg Jack in the Box, the 2024 NI Blue Texel Premier sale champion, Jamaica went on to secure the male championship title later in the day.
It was also Shannon Murphy from Monaghan who won second place in the ram lamb section with an extremely stylish lamb. This sharp lamb went on to claim reserve male champion.
Dassenkop
In the Dassenkop section, it was Nigel Hogan’s Diamond flock that rose to the top once again to claim overall champion, with a super shearling ewe named Diamond I’m Perfect 2.
I’m Perfect has been no stranger to all-Ireland success, having also won the all-Ireland championship Dassenkop title last year as a lamb.
Diamond I'm Perfect, the all-Ireland champion Dassenkop and interbreed reserve interbreed champion from Nigel Hogan. / Alfie Shaw
I’m Perfect was sired by the well-known Dassenkop ram Makavelli and is out of a homebred Diamond ewe.
This massive shearling ewe also had great interbreed success, taking the reserve championship spot, doing the double for Nigel Hogan's Diamond flock.
Hogan went on to win second and third in that same class and his second-prizewinning shearling ewe went on to win the reserve female championship.
In the ewe lamb class, it was Hogan who won first with a flashy ewe lamb, followed by Rachel Gallagher in second and then another two ewe lambs of Nigel's going on to take third and fourth.
Topping the males and winning overall reserve champion Dassenkop was Powerful Jeronimo, a standout ram lamb from Philip Crowe.
This well-marked lamb was a son of the highly admired Powerful flock stock ram 310 and his dam was also an import ewe from the Vissers flock.
Beltex
In the Beltex ring, sheep were brought from the length and breadth of Ireland to compete for an all-Ireland title.
The judge for the all-Ireland Beltex championships was another Scotsman, Stuart Wood from the well-known Woodies Beltex flock.
Both the quantity and quality of the Beltex sheep on show in Athlone was extremely high.
It was the shearling ewe from the Donegal-based Aileach View flock of Jack and Sean O’Brien that stood out from the crowd to first claim first place in a very competitive shearling ewe class, followed by winning the female championship and then to top it off being tapped out as the all-Ireland champion Beltex for 2025.
O’Brien also claimed reserve female championship and reserve overall championship with a a classy March-born ewe lamb named Aileach View Lust or Love.
Hampshire Down
The final of the four all-Ireland championships to take place in Athlone was the Hampshire Down championships.
It was won by a 2022-born Glenbrook ewe from Malcom and Hilary Workman. The powerful ewe was sired by Ashley Springbrook and was out of a Loughbrae Black Night ewe.
All-Ireland Hampshire Down champion from Malcolm and Hilary Workman and reserve champion from Michael White with judge Kevin McCarthy. / Sean McCarthy
This was also the Workman family’s first time competing at the Hampshire Down all-Irelands, having only set up their flock in 2024.
Overall reserve champion in the Hampshire Down section went to Micheal White with his strong ram lamb.
Jacob – Matthew Kehoe, Wexford. Beltex – Jack and Sean O’Brien, Donegal. Vendéen – Siobhan O’Connor, Meath. Suffolk – Alan Kilpatrick, Donegal. Zwartbles – Michael Comer, Galway. Charollais – Andrew Gilmore, Cavan. Rouge – Edwin Draper, Tipperary. Commercials – Damien Davoren, Clare.Texel – James and Philip Johnston, Donegal. Hampshire Down – Malcom and Hilary Workman, Monaghan. Blue Texel – Nigel Hogan, Carlow. Dassenkop – Nigel Hogan, Carlow. 
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