A WONDERFUL weekend not to be missed is the upcoming Northern Ireland Countrysports Fair, which will be held in the wonderful setting of Scarvagh House, Co Armagh, next weekend (May 25th-26th).
Crowds of almost 30,000 are expected over the two days of great entertainment, which will benefit the very worthy Air Ambulance Service.
There’s a huge array of entertainment including helicopter rides, falconry and blacksmithing demonstrations, as well as a WWII re-enactment display. There is cookery demonstrations, food and drink stalls galore as well as music and family fun for all ages over this great weekend. There will be gun dog and pet dog competitions as well as fishing for the angling enthusiasts.
HORSES AND PONIES
On the thrilling equestrian front, Newry Harriers and Vina Buller of Scarvagh House have been hard at work on a busy schedule of horse and pony classes at the fair, with prizes worth £1,000 over the Derby weekend. The Newry Harriers are also staging a Hound Parade and the weekend will be a real celebration of hunting in all its many forms - mounted, shooting and fishing. The RDAI are staging leadrein for the younger children.
Next Saturday, there will be a 70cm and 90cm derby class, with prize funds of £100 and £200 respectively. This will be followed by the hotly contested gate jumping competition, sponsored by Smyth’s Country Sports shop in Coleraine, after which you can enjoy the music and dancing at the fair.
Equestrian competitions on the Sunday begin with a Starter Stakes derby for under 12s, followed by an 80cm class, with a prize fund of £100, and a 1m derby course, the latter has a prize fund of a whopping £500 (applicable to certain levels) and you have to be in it to win it!
The varied derby course always receives great reviews and is fantastic for both young horses and the more experienced. All derby classes are £20 entry, which includes admission into the fair. The starter stakes class is £10 to enter.
Equestrian competitions can be entered on the day.
Supporting this wonderful event at Scarvagh House is the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Discover Northern Ireland.com and the Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.
More information can be found on the NI Countrysports Fair website at countrysportsfairs.com or by telephoning 0044 (0) 7712 937232.