The Save Mountbellew Agricultural Show campaign has been launched to try to ensure a future for one of the oldest and most popular agricultural shows in County Galway.
A public meeting will be held in St Mary’s Hall, Mountbellew on Monday July 1 at 9pm and anyone who has participated in or attended the show in previous years is invited.
The meeting will outline the state of the show’s finances, the difficulties of keeping an agricultural show alive, and a platform for ideas on how to continue the show into the future. The Mountbellew show has been running almost continually since 1904.
According to show secretary Dympna Naughton, the cancellation of the 2009 show, which lost more than €5,000, proved to be” a difficult obstacle to overcome” and the committee has been “trying to play catch up without success ever since”. The 2012 show lost €3,000.
Treasurer Adrian Walsh said reduced attendances over the past five years put “extraordinary pressure on the financial situation”.
Show committee member Matt Lohan said it was vital new attractions be included in order to appeal to a wider audience while Galway East TD Paul Connaughton is calling on the public to support the show.
“We would like the present generation of young people to encounter a modern show day experience,” she said. “Our hope is that Mountbellew Show will become an even bigger attraction on the social calendar in north Galway in the years to come.”
This year’s Mountbellew show will take place on September 14
