game fairs biggest

[Nightlamper 0]

Shanes castle is the bggest over here two days or good crack and some lovely looking dogs

 

Ballywalter tomorrow then shanes class

After being at Ballywalter today, anyone that could call this a big game fair is having a laugh. I was at it last year and was not for going back but with all the hype on these forums about it being second only to Shanes Castle I decided to go again. We were round the show in just over an hour, the main arena was dead, the family were bored senseless and the wife never seen as bad an arts & crafts area at any show...her words. Will not be back. Lets hope Moira is a lot better than this, though it wouldn't be hard.

 

You must have been sprinting! The Courtyard had two international artists and an international taxidermist - three gun dealers and a Barbour Shop, BASC stand and Marksman Simulator, netmaker, shooting & fishing holidays, fantastic game cookery demonstrations all day, game seed merchant; sporting clothing embroiderer, vintage tractor auctioneer and the Dog Guru. Outside display the house falconry display, casting on the lawns and fly tying, game display and Game Keepers area.

 

The arena programme changed every half hour NOT just six acts! And there was theatre at the house and a puntgunning demo on the lake - something you can't see at Moira! There were two very good rows of English stands, a real Fisherman's Row, a cannine products Row a fantastic Past & Present tent with great vintage firearms and Wildfowling displays plus the linen museum, dyers and spinners and quilter plus the Exploris tank for kids and many other crafdts. The food hall was better than I have ever seen at Moira although still slightly behind Ireland's major Game Fair at Shanes Castle.

 

The gundogs had a great course and good prizes and a REAL international with a team from Denmark and of course they had a course with a real lake!

And I don't think anyone with an interest in 'night lamping' could have spent less than an hour at the terrier and lurcher area - unless of course 'night lamper is just another alias for BB.

 

AND Ballywalter didn't really cost you anything you can use your family ticket to get in FREE to the largest Irish Game or Country fair at Shanes Castle on the 25th & 26th June.

 

Albertj

Well for a start I should have went with the wife and kids and maybe we would have got a family ticket for shanes. I went with the lads! My wife went with the two kids along with her friend and their two kids and we met up at the show. I paid £10 in and the wife paid £20 for her and the 2 kids. I got a free pass to shanes and she got a free pass to shanes and nothing for the kids to get in free - so no family ticket for shanes. The men were there a little earlier than the wives and did watch the clays and the terriers and lurchers for a while. The wives and children arrived just after 2 o'clock. We met up for lunch and as i say we saw everything else, all done and dusted, in just over an hour. The main arena was less than lively while we were eating our lunch and walking around the stands and in fact only picked up a bit when the dog guru came on. We left just as he finished. The fair had no atmosphere and nothing that made either the wives or the children want to stay the whole day. I don't know who this BB is your talking about, my first name is Brian and I am not an alias for anybody?? I am just giving you my thoughts on Ballywalter and that of the family.

 

Your initial post said you were round it in a hour - I trust one of the three lots of camera crews caught you going past - it must have been quite a sight if you were whizzing round over 130 stands in an hour less the time you watched the clays and terriers and lurchers and had lunch.

 

I note from your posts that you are quite a cheer leader for Moira - in fact you and True Countryman seem to have quite a good double act. And we know at least one of the Moira organisers tends to use aliases to attack people eg one even used our brand name irishgamefair on twitter to call BASC ' Silly Sods'.

 

If your wife and you did come to Ballywalter, simply return your two individual tickets and I will replace them with a family ticket for Shanes Castle.

 

 

I can assure you you won't get round all the attractions in Shanes Castle in an hour

Albertj

 

PS The fair was visited by a number of VIPs and a host of media figures including BBC4 television and fieldsportschannel.tv, dogandgun.tv etc. they spent consideraly more time than an hour at the fair and still didn't see it all!

You haven't read me right. I arrived with the lads around 12.45ish for lurchers & terriers starting at 1pm. We spent just over an hour when the family arrived just after 2pm and then we as a family spent just over an hour together. I would send both tickets back accept hers is dumped somewhere at Ballywalter. It takes more to impress her and the kids than me at shows and it just didn't do it for them. I am not a cheer leader for Moira, I have always went to all the shows and most likely will continue to, although your attitude could do with a bit of improving. I do not know BB, True Countyman or even you personally so why would I be attacking anybody. I am a lurcher and terrier owner, watch the shows but don't participate as my dogs are used to work in the field. Take a chill and accept my comments the same as the others on here giving you feedback.

[AlbertJ 569]

Shanes castle is the bggest over here two days or good crack and some lovely looking dogs

 

Ballywalter tomorrow then shanes class

After being at Ballywalter today, anyone that could call this a big game fair is having a laugh. I was at it last year and was not for going back but with all the hype on these forums about it being second only to Shanes Castle I decided to go again. We were round the show in just over an hour, the main arena was dead, the family were bored senseless and the wife never seen as bad an arts & crafts area at any show...her words. Will not be back. Lets hope Moira is a lot better than this, though it wouldn't be hard.

 

You must have been sprinting! The Courtyard had two international artists and an international taxidermist - three gun dealers and a Barbour Shop, BASC stand and Marksman Simulator, netmaker, shooting & fishing holidays, fantastic game cookery demonstrations all day, game seed merchant; sporting clothing embroiderer, vintage tractor auctioneer and the Dog Guru. Outside display the house falconry display, casting on the lawns and fly tying, game display and Game Keepers area.

 

The arena programme changed every half hour NOT just six acts! And there was theatre at the house and a puntgunning demo on the lake - something you can't see at Moira! There were two very good rows of English stands, a real Fisherman's Row, a cannine products Row a fantastic Past & Present tent with great vintage firearms and Wildfowling displays plus the linen museum, dyers and spinners and quilter plus the Exploris tank for kids and many other crafdts. The food hall was better than I have ever seen at Moira although still slightly behind Ireland's major Game Fair at Shanes Castle.

 

The gundogs had a great course and good prizes and a REAL international with a team from Denmark and of course they had a course with a real lake!

And I don't think anyone with an interest in 'night lamping' could have spent less than an hour at the terrier and lurcher area - unless of course 'night lamper is just another alias for BB.

 

AND Ballywalter didn't really cost you anything you can use your family ticket to get in FREE to the largest Irish Game or Country fair at Shanes Castle on the 25th & 26th June.

 

Albertj

Well for a start I should have went with the wife and kids and maybe we would have got a family ticket for shanes. I went with the lads! My wife went with the two kids along with her friend and their two kids and we met up at the show. I paid £10 in and the wife paid £20 for her and the 2 kids. I got a free pass to shanes and she got a free pass to shanes and nothing for the kids to get in free - so no family ticket for shanes. The men were there a little earlier than the wives and did watch the clays and the terriers and lurchers for a while. The wives and children arrived just after 2 o'clock. We met up for lunch and as i say we saw everything else, all done and dusted, in just over an hour. The main arena was less than lively while we were eating our lunch and walking around the stands and in fact only picked up a bit when the dog guru came on. We left just as he finished. The fair had no atmosphere and nothing that made either the wives or the children want to stay the whole day. I don't know who this BB is your talking about, my first name is Brian and I am not an alias for anybody?? I am just giving you my thoughts on Ballywalter and that of the family.

 

Your initial post said you were round it in a hour - I trust one of the three lots of camera crews caught you going past - it must have been quite a sight if you were whizzing round over 130 stands in an hour less the time you watched the clays and terriers and lurchers and had lunch.

 

I note from your posts that you are quite a cheer leader for Moira - in fact you and True Countryman seem to have quite a good double act. And we know at least one of the Moira organisers tends to use aliases to attack people eg one even used our brand name irishgamefair on twitter to call BASC ' Silly Sods'.

 

If your wife and you did come to Ballywalter, simply return your two individual tickets and I will replace them with a family ticket for Shanes Castle.

 

 

I can assure you you won't get round all the attractions in Shanes Castle in an hour

Albertj

 

PS The fair was visited by a number of VIPs and a host of media figures including BBC4 television and fieldsportschannel.tv, dogandgun.tv etc. they spent consideraly more time than an hour at the fair and still didn't see it all!

You haven't read me right. I arrived with the lads around 12.45ish for lurchers & terriers starting at 1pm. We spent just over an hour when the family arrived just after 2pm and then we as a family spent just over an hour together. I would send both tickets back accept hers is dumped somewhere at Ballywalter. It takes more to impress her and the kids than me at shows and it just didn't do it for them. I am not a cheer leader for Moira, I have always went to all the shows and most likely will continue to, although your attitude could do with a bit of improving. I do not know BB, True Countyman or even you personally so why would I be attacking anybody. I am a lurcher and terrier owner, watch the shows but don't participate as my dogs are used to work in the field. Take a chill and accept my comments the same as the others on here giving you feedback.

 

You didn't express yourself clearly - so you actually were not 'done and dusted in a hour' but rather spent over two hours.

 

Anyway back to the subject of this thread. The largest fair in Ireland is at Shanes, followed by Birr then probably Moira then Ballywalter 0 Onely 2nd year under our management) then Ballinlough. And I would be the first to admit that none of these would compare to say scone. Shanes and Birr have beautiful traditional venues while Ballywalter is a very pretty venue but limited by size - that is why we kept it neat , tight and good quality. Moira has a non traditional venue on playing fields in a municipal park but is the last time I was there it was an Ok fair.

[nrat 8]

The CLA is the biggest but for a better day or weekend i would recomend the Midland game fair the Welsh game fair is probably the best fair for dogmen and certainly one of the best value for money shows, Frampton in Gloustershire is the best one day show its very rural and old fashioned a smashing show and north of the border Scoone in Perthshire is a really good one or Moy in the highlands that one is small but enjoyable, which ever show you go to take time to enjoy it theres normally somthing there for everyone,

[AlbertJ 569]

The CLA is the biggest but for a better day or weekend i would recomend the Midland game fair the Welsh game fair is probably the best fair for dogmen and certainly one of the best value for money shows, Frampton in Gloustershire is the best one day show its very rural and old fashioned a smashing show and north of the border Scoone in Perthshire is a really good one or Moy in the highlands that one is small but enjoyable, which ever show you go to take time to enjoy it theres normally somthing there for everyone,

 

As a Fair organiser I would agree - though I haven't been to Frampton. Our Irish fairs would be more like Moy - possibly slightly bigger. Scone would be my favourite as it is the right size to get round in a day. We have a huge canine show at Shanes on the 25th & 26th June - Interclub Golden Retriever Test with teams from all over the UK, Pedigree dog show, Dog Agility Show, International gundog team event, Spaniel and retriever tests - novice and open, dog& gun event etc Plus the All Ireland Terrier & Lurcher Championships and the final of the MasterMc Grath Challenge lurcher racing. Could be worth a trade visit for you!