The Tullamore Show is a one-day agricultural and livestock show held on the second Sunday of August each year near the town of

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

County Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The programme of the Tullamore Show includes cultural events, commercial trade exhibitions and competitive interests, ranging from livestock, equestrian, home industries, inventions, vintage, fashion, style, cookery, crafts and performing arts. Agriculture was originally the show's main focus, but this has broadened to include entertainment, food, crafts, lifestyle including 700 trade stands, food and refreshments, fashion and entertainment. The Tullamore Show has previously attracted an average of 62,000 visitors from across Ireland and other countries.

History

1840 saw the launch of the first agricultural show in Tullamore, it lapsed in 1843, but was revamped and re-launched in the early 1900s. 1938 saw the last of this era of shows, until the idea was reignited in the early 1990s. The show was revived in 1991; 53 years since the previous show. The first show was held on the outskirts of Tullamore, however the following year it moved to the larger facility in the grounds of

Charleville Castle Charleville Castle is a Gothic-style castle located in County Offaly, Ireland, bordering the town of Tullamore, near the River Clodiagh. It is considered one of the finest of its type in the country. History The first mansion house to be buil ...

. In its first 30 years, the show has been cancelled on four occasions. The first cancellation was due to the outbreak of '

Foot and Mouth Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, follow ...

' in 2001. The following four cancellations were in the years 2007 and 2008 caused by torrential downfalls of rain just prior to opening of the show and dictated last minute cancellations, and since 2020 caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. The cancellations of 2007/2008 prompted another move to the Butterfield Estate at Blueball, 5 km from Tullamore where it has remained since. Attendances reached 40,000 in the 2000's, and 60,000 in the 2010's.

References

{{authority control Agricultural shows in Ireland