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When Lindsey Dewar decided to bring her Irish Setter, GB Sh Ch Gwendariff Willy Wont He, back to his land of birth after St Patrick’s Day, she couldn’t have guessed she would be going home with the Best in Show winner at the Irish Kennel Club’s Celtic Winners International Ch Show; Crufts qualifier and title event and a very important show on the Irish canine calendar this year as the IKC is celebrating it’s centenary, and it was also fitting that ‘Howie’ is one of our most popular Irish native breeds.  Bred in the purple by Diane Stewart-Ritchie at her County Down based Gwendariff kennels, he is by Crufts BOB winner in 2011, ‘12 and ‘13, Ir & GB Sh Ch Northamber Just Cause for Glenavna, bred by Christine McLarnon, and Diane’s bitch, Sh Ch Gwendariff Walnut Whip, and he won his crowning CC at Belfast Ch Show back in October last year, so the Irish air must be best for him !!

Handled by Diane, he initially took the breed under Ann White of the well known Abberrann Irish Glen of Imaal kennel, then Group 7 under all breeds judge, Colm Hastings, and finished the day with Best in Show from close on 1,400 dogs under gundog specialist, Angela Hancock, well known for her, and husband Chris’, winning Hancourt Labrador Retrievers.  And all this under rather deceptive blue skies at the scenic Navan Racecourse in Royal County Meath, albeit with a bitterly cold breeze in the shade. 

He is pictured here with Diane handling and, l-r, Jim Treacy & Sean Martin of generous sponsors, and IKC partners, GAIN PET NUTRITION, BIS judge Angela Hancock, owner Lindsey Dewar and Adrian O’Keeffe, who made up the trio of representatives Gain Pet Nutrition, who were on hand both days to advise exhibitors on nutrition and generously give ‘goodie bags’ to every exhibitor.
Photos: Patrick Fortune  -  Irish Canine Press
Second day at Navan Race Course, again under the bluest of skies, and the IKC gave us back our traditional St Patrick’s Day Show after a two year break due to the dreaded covid;  although not on 17th for many years unless this Patron Saint’s Day falls on a weekend, there is still a festive atmosphere, and it was once again under clear blue skies that a handsome Airedale Terrier, Ch & GB Ch Bambusa So Noble, took the crown under all breeds judge and respected terrier specialist, Cathy Delmar, (Shillelagh Kerry Blues and SFT) in an overall entry of almost 1,300 dogs.

‘Fred’, owned and bred by Marion and Roy Gregg of the top winning Bambusa kennels based in Co Down, is the latest star of the kennel started by this dedicated couple who have had a line bred recipe for producing top winning Airedales since the beginning. Fred’s dam, Ch GB & Int Ch Bambusa Dream Model was Top Airedale in the UK in 2015, with her litter brother top male, and Fred and his litter sister ‘Spice’, aka Ch & GB Ch Bambusa Follow The Dream, have now emulated their predecessors, with Spice just pipping her brother Fred to the post with Top UK CC winning Airedale, for 2021. No lightweight however, Fred took his first CC at the tender age of 17 months, and claimed his Irish crown by the time he was 23 months, taking BIS at the Airedale Club show along the way. He and sister Spice had two CCs each when the Covid lockdowns began and they spent the ensuing almost two years relaxing at home. When the shows began again in GB in July 2021, the duo made many trips across the Irish sea, winning and sharing top awards, just as they had done as youngsters. Fred ended up with a further 4 CCs, 2 RCCs and 2 BIS wins at breed club shows, though he didn’t show at several events, whilst his sister ended the year as Top CC winning Airedale with 8 CCs from 10 shows.  Between them they won BIS at 5 of the 6 Breed Club Ch Shows during that period.
So from winning BOB at their first ever St Patrick’s Ch show under IKC rules in 1977 with their first Airedale, to breeding a pleathora of GB and Irish Champions and other CC winners, including, maybe 30 years ago, Ch & GB Ch Bambusa Gentry, their first homebred GB Ch, who took the Terrier Group at IKC St Patrick’s Ch Show under Cathy Delmar,  the same judge who today gave ‘Fred’ his ultimate BIS in a year that the IKC celebrates it’s 100th birthday……

Photo: l-r, Jim Treacy of sponsors, GAIN PET NUTRITION, judge Cathy Delmar, Roy Gregg handling his and wife Marion's BIS winning Airedale Ch & GB Ch Bambusa So Noble, and Sean Martin, also of GAIN Pet Nutrition.
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Irish Kennel Club Centenary Year Events 2022
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