All Ireland Young Stock Person from Cavan

Thirteen-year-old Oisín Clarke from outside Bailieborough was named 2026 FBD All-Ireland Intermediate Young Stock Person at the Royal Meath Show last weekend.

Oisín earned his place at the national event after successfully qualifying at the Castleblayney Agricultural Show earlier this year. The All-Ireland competition attracted 27 young participants from across the country, competing in three categories: Junior, Intermediate and Senior.

The competitors were tested across a wide range of areas over a four-hour period- including animal preparation and grooming, stock judging, show ring handling- as well as an interview with the judges.

Oisín is fond of his docile and calm Charolais heifer and loves the buzz of the show: “I’ve met lots of new people through showing cattle and made some great friends along the way. I really enjoy the competitions and learning new skills.”

Claiming the intermediate title was “a proud achievement for Oisín”, his father Nigel said. His passion for showing cattle began at a very young age working with his father on the family farm.

In 2022, Oisín bought his first heifer at the Manorhamilton Show and Sale with money he had saved. Since then, he has become involved in the North Eastern Limousin Club YMA events and worked hard to improve his stockmanship skills through workshops, training event and young handler competitions. Through this, Nigel believes Oisín has gained valuable knowledge under the guidance of experienced cattle handlers.

The North Eastern Limousin Club congratulated their young member on social media: “An absolutely outstanding achievement by Oisín Clarke.

Competing on the national stage and coming home with an All-Ireland title is a tremendous accomplishment. Oisín displayed exceptional skill, confidence and stockmanship - a brilliant young ambassador for the future of Irish agriculture.”

The Cavan teenager now hopes to inspire other young farmers to participate: “I had a great day at the event and really enjoyed the experience, I would encourage any young people interested in showing cattle to get involved and give it a try.”