Hoping it doesn't rain cats and dogs

Ian Kellett is filling out ‘In’ cards and ‘Out’ cards when the Celt calls out to the Show office in Virginia on Thursday morning.

Those entering the Home Industries class receive an ‘In’ card when they drop off their entry, say a chocolate cake. This little white card is the one you see alongside each of the cakes displayed on the runways of tables in the large hall. After judging and the show concludes, the competitors hand in their ‘out card’ to retrieve their chocolate cake - minus one slice the judge has nibbled it.

“It stops people mixing up their entries,” says Ian of the card system as his marker squeekily fills out the class on another card. There’s hundreds of classes and loads entering each. It’s far from glamorous work, but it’s essential and Ian’s happy to put his hand up to do it.

The card filling is fitted in between fielding queries on the phone and processing entries.

“In the beginning it was slow but from the bank holiday to now it’s starting to pick up,” he reports.

Photography “probably” attracts the most entries.

“A lot of people like to take pictures and they see the class in the book or online and go, yeah sure I’ll enter it.”

This admin role - one he’s had for the last three years - is top of Ian’s current priorities but he’s also been the jam judge’s assistant, involved in the dog stewarding, and provides IT support for those manning the gates on Show Day.

“Each year it’s different,” he says.

Asked if there’s any job he doesn’t like Ian gives it consideration, before deciding no.

“Everything I’ve done I’ve always enjoyed, like this, being in the office and the amount of people we meet who tells us how they entered years ago and maybe they stopped because of Covid and have started to get back into it. They enjoy coming to the shows and meeting people they haven’t met maybe in a year or so.”

Ian’s part of the generational renewal of the committee, that Mary Gaynor has been eager to see in her term as Show President. When looking for youth with new ideas to come onto the committee Ian was an obvious choice.

“I’ve been on the committee for the last year, but I’ve been involved way longer before that,” says Ian.

He lives in Invyarroge - a townland between Virginia and Bailieborough - where the family run a dairy and beef farm. However the 21-year-old has graduated in architectural technology and hopes to pursue that as his career.

To get to where his association with the show begins, he takes us back a few generations.

“It all started off with my grandparents - Albert and Rachel Walker - they were heavily involved. Granddad was a former show president, and then Granny she’s still currently the chief steward for the jams.

“My mother Gillian [Kellett], she’s the chief steward for the dogs and my uncle Robert [Walker] is the chief steward for the trade stands.”

Ian started out helping his mother Gillian with the dog show - having the rosettes and plaques ready to go for when judging starts. It’s become one of the most popular parts of Show Day.

“It is, and every year it’s getting bigger and bigger,” he enthuses.

Surely he must have brought his own dog along to the Show the Celt asks.

“No we actually don’t have a dog. We have cats”

Alarmed, the Celt probes if he even likes dogs?

“I don’t mind them,” he says not very convincingly.

Did he enjoy the dog show?

“I loved it. All the different dogs, and you had ones trying to show them professionally and then ones who bring their dogs and just decide to do it on the day for the craic of it - the kids walking around with little puppies to big dogs, sometimes bigger than them, and being dragged along! It’s a great joy watching it, and people love watching it.”

Classes he does enter are cakes and flowers.

“I’ve won a couple of times,” he says crediting his mother and grandparents for his love of baking.

“I won the chocolate cake last year, and I think I placed with the coffee. I’ve done that a couple of times with the coffee and chocolate cakes.”

The one aspect of the Show , that’s beyond their control that Ian admits to not enjoying is bad weather.

“If it rains and you’re standing out in the rain, you’re soaked, standing around - the knees next day you’re not fit to stand... but otherwise I love it.”

He suspects the Show will always be part of his life.

“Yes it’s great to be involved. The committee are lovely. If you ever have a question for them, they’ll help you - there’s ones on the committee for years - and just like that they’ll give you the answer.”

Ian may be more a cat person than a dog person, but he’s definitely a people person.

“It’s the people that make the show. If less people enter into the classes there’s gonna be less classes; if less people come through the gates there will be no atmosphere here on show day - so it’s the people.

“Meeting people, having the craic with people.”