Last weekend, Kepak were Title sponsors of the All-Ireland & All Nations Sheep Shearing Championships – Shearfest.
Held in Mountbellew Mart, Co. Galway, this esteemed annual event in the Sheep sector calendar hosted over 20,000 people across Saturday and Sunday of the bank holiday weekend. With the Kepak Athleague factory being less than 14 miles away, this local sponsorship deemed the perfect fit to engage with suppliers, their families and the wider community.
Competitors travelled from across Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, France, Australia, and New Zealand for the largest dedicated sheep event in Ireland in 2024 – often referred to as “the Olympics of sheep shearing”. Punters also enjoyed an array of activities such as country music, raffles, cookery demos, pedigree and rare breeds shows, and wool crafts on the day.
The Kepak presence was strong on the day. We gave out free lamb tagine samples – supplied by our local factory, displayed our retail products from our Atlantic Hill Lamb Producer Group amongst others, and supplied different cuts of lamb for the cookery demonstrations on the day.
Chef Tara Walker, known for her regular appearances on Ireland AM TV and LMFM Radio dished up some fabulous lamb and feta burgers, roasted rack of lamb with a herb crust & redcurrant jus, and a fragrant butterflied leg of lamb shawarma flatbreads – which tasted as good as it sounds!
Some special guests also dropped by the stand, including New Zealand Ambassador to Ireland Trevor Mallard, IFA President Francie Gorman, 2023 Certified Irish Angus Winning student Peter O’Neil, YouTuber Karol Devaney, as well as politicians – Maria Walsh MEP and Independent Michael Fitzmaurice.