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The first All Breeds championship of the year in Northern Ireland was on Saturday, 9th July, and it was a new date for Portadown Canine Club’s 15th such event under IKC rules; this year, for the second time, held in the very pleasant surrounds of Lurgan Park, a well kept and manicured facility owned by the Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, and kindly ‘donated’ to the club for their annual show. It is also the venue for the annual Lurgan Agricultural show, which, many years ago hosted the then Lurgan CC’s annual KC London open show in conjunction with the agricultural show, which made for a very interesting day out, and much comparison judging dogs, cattle and sheep !! Back then numbers were fewer than the championship show entries nowadays, so with the park to themselves this year, the dog folk were able to enjoy what turned out to be a warm, sunny day out with their dogs, and an entry of 954 to be judged by a mix of Irish judges from all over the country, some experienced, some just starting out, others progressing, with a couple of well known faces from across the sea.
It was London based judge Mark Cocozza, who was to make the final decision in the late afternoon sunshine. Mark, who awards CCs in over 50 breeds under KC London through the Hound, Utility and Toy groups, having first awarded tickets in 1998, is probably best known for his Freecloud Afghan Hounds, with which he had great success in the 80’s and 90’s. From an excellent line-up of ten top winners sent through to the big ring, Mark’s eventual winner was the Old English Sheepdog bitch, Ch Raggletaggle Angel’s Share, owned in partnership with breeders Rose and Colm Hastings, and their fellow breeders in America Jere Marder and Kay
Richardson of the well known Lambluvs OES and breeders of her sire, the same ownership’s Multi Ch Lambluvs Irish Brew, ‘Guinness’ being a multi group and BIS judge here in ‘16 and ‘17. She had earlier beaten her litter brother, Vincent and Sonya Farr’s Ch R. Very Rare, Group 2 on St Patrick’s Day, for BOB. So far this year, ‘Angel’ took third in the group at CCC Easter National Ch Show, second at both Kilkenny and Deise and won the Group and BIS at South Tipperary, making her Top Group 1 on the GAIN Pet Nutrition/Irish Canine Press Top Winners’Leaderboard, a position she held back in 2019, her father, Irish Brew having held it in ‘18 and ‘17.
The first All Breeds championship of the year in Northern Ireland was on Saturday, 9th July, and it was a new date for Portadown Canine Club’s 15th such event under IKC rules; this year, for the second time, held in the very pleasant surrounds of Lurgan Park, a well kept and manicured facility owned by the Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, and kindly ‘donated’ to the club for their annual show. It is also the venue for the annual Lurgan Agricultural show, which, many years ago hosted the then Lurgan CC’s annual KC London open show in conjunction with the agricultural show, which made for a very interesting day out, and much comparison judging dogs, cattle and sheep !!
Back then numbers were fewer than the championship show entries nowadays, so with the park to themselves this year, the dog folk were able to enjoy what turned out to be a warm, sunny day out with their dogs, and an entry of 954 to be judged by a mix of Irish judges from all over the country, some experienced, some just starting out, others progressing, with a couple of well known faces from across the sea.
Mark’s choice for Reserve BIS was the Bracco Italiano, Ch Owlspoint Makin Trouble, owned by father and daughter team, Mark & Scarlett Burnside, Best in Show at Fermoy International,  Group winner at CCC International, with Group seconds at IKC Celtic Winners, CCC National and South Tipp, and a fourth in Cork, keeping ‘Fudge’at the top of the Group 7 GAIN Pet Nutrition/Irish Canine Press Leaderboard. He was sent through earlier from the breed by Brian Grace, and the Group by Nikki Hughes-Ruigrok. You can read all about him in the Fermoy Show report on this website…
Third BIS was the Kerry Blue Terrier, Paul Butterfield and breeders Harold and Helena Quigg’s GB Ch Irisblu Violinist, handled by Harold to her Irish title on the day, with BOB under Melanie Corcoran, and the Group from Danny Sinclair, both Terrier specialists.  She also won the Irish Native Breed Group on the day under Brian Grace. BOB at Crufts, this little bitch has had a great run both in GB and now Ireland, and at the Dublin Blue Terrier Centenary Ch Show, held at Leopardstown Racecourse she took Best in Show, an auspicious occasion for everyone during this special year for the IKC but especially proud for Harold and Helena, to be the recipients of the trophy presented 100 years ago by the great Irish patriot, Michael Collins, who was also an enthusiastic Kerry Blue man, even finding time to show his dog, Convict 224.
Shortly before his untimely death in 1922, Michael Collins made plans to have the  Kerry Blue Terrier officially recognised dog as the National Dog of the new ‘Irish Free State’ and attempted to get an act through the Oireachtas to promote the Kerry Blue to a national symbol;  sadly, after his assassination, his initiative was forgotten. Collins was a great admirer of the Kerry Blue Terrier (or Dublin Blue Terrier) and the ‘Big Fella’, as he was fondly known to his own admirers, risked a lot to actually get to a show and exhibit his dog during the dangerous times of the War of Independence.
At that time all dog shows were held under licence from the English Kennel Club, but Collins was amongst the few who founded the Dublin Blue Terrier Club, it’s first show (not under KC licence) was  October 16th, 1920, at Longrishe Place, Summerhill, Dublin on 16th October 1920. This was the precursor to the IKC as we know it today. Collins’ celebrated his 30th birthday on the day, and his dog, Convict 224, was also a winner….
British Captain, Wyndham Quinn, from the Vice Regal Lodge in Pheonix Park who presented the Wyndham Trophy (still competed for today), was also at the show whilst the Under Secretary for Ireland, Sir James McMahon, also competed, not knowing that he was a co-exhibitor of Michael Collins, at that time one the most wanted men in Ireland.
Now, 100 years later, the trophy, The Collins Cup, is awarded for BOB/BIS at the Dublin Blue Club Show, and valued highly by the club, with the names of Collins himself, and his beloved Kerry,  Convict 224, still clearly engraved, lending a tremendous sense of history to the club, and a bit of magical romanticism to the breed…
Finally, taking BIS fourth was Grainne Keeling’s homebred Alaskan Malamute, Kishdara Smooth Operator,  currently fourth on the Group 5 Leaderboard, and this was his fourth show featuring in group 5, today’s judge being Theresa Owens who has taken over the appointment for Margaret O’Gorman who was, I believe, recovering from surgery. ‘Uluru’ is the first red Champion in Ireland, having clinched his Irish crown the previous weekend and was fresh from winning his first Res CC the previous weekend at Windsor Ch Show under breed specialist Sue Ellis Payne, a great start to his GB campaign.
The show was generously sponsored by GAIN Pet Nutrition, represented on the day, and in the photographs, by Sean Martin and Jim Treacy, who were on hand to give advice and help on the day.
Photos: Caroline Reynolds and Alex Douglas RMD Images;
Video: Claudio Petrolo
Report: Joyce Crawford-Manton
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