IN PICTURES: Record crowds bring Bansha to a standstill for the 67th Annual Show

As a Bansha man I am always incredibly proud of my village and community, writes Martin Quinn. 

On Wednesday, August 20, I was really proud of the community for the success of a day and evening in the village, that really showed what a community can do when it works together.

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The events that I am referring to are the Bansha Agricultural and Industrial Show and the Darby Ryan International Poetry Contest/Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest.

More about the poetry and songs elsewhere as I focus firstly on the 67th Bansha Agricultural and Industrial Show. The Show has been an integral part of the community since its foundation in 1956.

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The man "behind" the show was the late Canon John Hayes, Founder of Muintir na Tíre and Parish Priest of Bansha and Kilmoyler.

It was his idea to bring community leaders and representatives together to plan for a show that would be the leading of its kind for rural communities throughout the country and an example of what could be achieved when a community comes together in a spirit of 'muintearas'.

It was a great example to people in 1956 and it was once again a wonderful example in 2025, when the community of Bansha & Kilmoyler showed that very same spirit of the late Canon John Hayes, with what can only be described as a truly exceptional show.

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The show had everything, including the Liam McCarthy Cup and 2 of the team members, Johnny Ryan and Conor Martin, and most importantly it was another fine day, a promise made by the late Canon Hayes that Bansha "will have a fine day for its annual show into the future".

A comment to me by Derek Fanning of the Tipperary Volunteer Centre perhaps best sums up the day's success: "We had a fantastic day at the Bansha Agricultural and Industrial Show today. Well done to the voluntary committee who make this great family-friendly event possible".

The Bansha First Responders added to that saying: "What a fantastic day we had at The Bansha Show! Never mind Electric Picnic, the crowds at this year's show were something else!".

How true that latter statement was as the crowds surpassed anything that the committee had experienced in the previous 66 shows.

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There were Cups of all shapes and sizes on display and along with the Liam McCarthy, the Galtee Rovers U14 County Players Emma Morrissey, Emma O'Shea and Sinéad were in attendance bringing with them the 2 Munster LGFA Cups and the All Ireland Cup they won wearing the blue & gold representing Tipperary Ladies Football.

Along with the usual attractions the show had music and dancing with an incredible lineup of artists as organised by local entertainer Dee Morrissey who had this to say: "What an amazing day we had at Bansha Agricultural & Industrial Show. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to enjoy the day. I know people travelled from Wexford, Waterford and all over the country to come enjoy the music on a lovely summer's day".

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There was a great line up for the dogs and for the Overall dog of the Bansha Show, competing for the Jerry White Memorial Cup.

Jerry's daughter Anne wanted to commend Catherine Heffernan and Darragh Healy for their hard work and commitment.

"A fantastic success," said Anne.

Local Councillor, John O'Heney, was an exhibitor in the cattle section of the Show. This is what John had to say about the show: "A really brilliant day at the Bansha Agricultural & Industrial Show. There was a huge selection of animals with top class Cattle, Show Jumping, Sheep, and dogs on show! Great crafts and local businesses were on display too, with the Liam McCarthy Cup even making an appearance. To round off a great day, there was amazing music and dancing led by Dee Morrissey, Ellie Peters, Olivia Douglas, the Full Kegs and more! A massive crowd in attendance, one of the biggest ever. Well done to the Committee on running such a successful event once again this year".

So many positive comments from people and a group playing a very important part in ensuring that the village looked its best was the Bansha Tidy Towns Group who said: "What a great day at Bansha Show…a fantastic day for the community brought together by the volunteers and committee of this group. Take a bow...Bigger than ever.

"And we even got to hold the Liam MacCarthy Cup!"

For those who could not attend the show in person, well Tipp Mid West Radio, was on-hand broadcasting live from the show field, bringing a great flavour of the excitement and fun of the 2025 Bansha Agricultural Show.

I guess the final comment has to be here's to the 68th Annual Bansha Show in 2026!