CHILDREN enjoying the launch with Maggie the scarecrow and Bessie the cow.

Annual Agricultural Show launched in Mountbellew

Scarecrows a unique feature for 2026 show

Neha Kumari

Published: Sat 15 Aug 2026, 10:00 AM

ONE of the highlights of the 2026 Mountbellew Agricultural Show will be a Scarecrow Competition.

The annual show will be held on Saturday, August 22 on the grounds of the ATU Mountbellew Agricultural College, and will mark the 122nd anniversary of the popular show.

Officially launched on Friday, August 7, the latest show is expected to feature all of the traditional classes, with a particular emphasis on the highly regarded All-Ireland Pair of Galway Ewe Lambs Class, a long-standing and much anticipated feature of the Mountbellew Agricultural Show.

The Cattle Section will include the Young Handlers Under-16 Competition, the Bernie Mannion Perpetual Cup, and the Connacht Pedigree Interbreed Male Calf Championship.

One of the exciting new attractions at this year’s show is the scarecrow competition, featuring two classes including the Field Scarecrow Competition where participants are encouraged to use recycled, repurposed and sustainable materials, and a Fancy Dress Scarecrow Parade, where people will become scarecrows themselves.

“There is no other agricultural show in Ireland that features scarecrows, and we have designed it in a way that both the children and adults can participate in the competition,” said Mountbellew Agricultural show Committee member Paul Connaughton Snr.

MOUNTBELLEW Agricultural Show Committee members, pictured at Friday’s launch, Frank Collevy, Michael Mannion, Julie Reynolds, Anne Meehan, Pauline Gavin, Fr. Karl Burns, Sean O’Neill, Michael Kitt, Paul Connaughton Snr, Councillor Michael Connolly, Matt Lohan, Rita Hughes, Brian McHale and Martin Gavin.

He further said that the show will have a special From Racehorse to Riding Horse class in the Horse Section that will shine a light on what happens to a racehorse once its working life on the racetrack is over.

“In this class we will have the retired racehorses performing show jumping. It is to raise awareness that the life of a horse does not end once it retires from the racetrack,” said Paul Connaughton Snr.

Another new attraction at the show will be a display of crochet work by a group of local ladies. Set up over 20 years ago by Carmel Rushe and Maura Hannon, the group comes together every week during the winter and produces garments like blankets, throws, hats and scarfs to donate to neonatal units, hospices, nursing homes and the BUMBLEance-Children’s Ambulance service.

Chair of the Mountbellew Agricultural Show Society, Sean O’Neill, told The Tuam Herald that the show will cater for the entertainment and interests of people of all ages.

“We have several new attractions added to the show and it was the top priority of the committee to provide families with top class entertainment at a very low cost,” noted Sean O’Neill, who also expressed gratitude towards the show's sponsors and others.

The Mountbellew Agricultural Show will be officially opened at midday on Saturday, August 22, by Teresa Roche from Abbey in south Galway, the newly elected chair of the IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Committee.

For more information visit: www.mountbellewagrishow.ie.