BCCS September Newsletter 2022

Brigadoon host finale to World Charolais Congress Tour
The Brigadoon herd in County Down hosted a fitting
finale to the World Charolais Congress Tour as it
stopped off in Northern Ireland.
The Connolly family played host to more than 100
visitors who had travelled from 14 countries.
They were joined by a throng of local visitors, with
a further 150 people travelling from all corners of
Ireland to view the stock on display. The tour paid a
visit to nine farms in England, Wales and Scotland,
culminating in a visit to the Brigadoon Charolais
herd. This included the RUAS Balmoral Junior Heifer
Champion, who also clinched the Heifer Champion
and Reserve Female Champion. Her dam is
Brigadoon Nevada, a national junior champion before
her, by the herd’s previous stock sire Goldies Icon.
Also in the field was Brigadoon Saffron, the Reserve
Junior Champion at the national show, the previous
day. She is another Maxamus daughter from
Brigadoon Heather who carries French sire Major in
her pedigree.
Visitors were taken aback by the consistency in the
second paddock where a superb batch of two-year-old heifers
awaited them. Indeed, it proved difficult for the delegates to
distinguish them apart with such an even batch of homebred
heifers, again by Newhouse Maxamus and Goldies Icon.
It was no surprise that the cows with calf at foot were
on display in what is known as the ‘Top Hill’. This field at
Brigadoon commands an impressive view across to the
Mournes, Strangford Lough and the Belfast hills - a beautiful
back drop for this batch who were joined by the stock bull.
Maxamus is well named, with a balanced stature, his length
and depth were remarked on by many visitors, along with
great locomotion he showed fantastic command in the
field. The cows are mostly Icon daughters, showing off great
maternal strength with excellent milk capacity evident in the
calves that ranged in age from early spring to a month old.
They certainly gave a ‘wow’ factor.
ring as heifers and are now to the fore as working mothers.
There was great interest in the last field of the day, with the
junior bulls taking centre stage.
All sired by Maxaumus with the exception of one Icon son,
they were much admired by the visitors who remarked on the
great strength, muscle and correctness throughout the batch.
To finish, a representation of the Brigadoon 2022 show team
was on display, with Brigadoon Sovereign taking centre stage,
the Junior Male Champion and Reserve Supreme Champion
from the previous day’s National Show.
The autumn calvers were overlooking the Belfast hills, with
Wesley Glamorous, now 11 years old, a former Balmoral
Supreme Champion who has three daughters retained in the
herd.
There were a further six Icon daughters at note to Maxamus,
many of these females have taken top accolades in the show
The Northern Ireland Charolais Club would like to thank the
Connolly family for the display put on at Brigadoon and we
would like to thank the family for all their hard work not only
on the day but in the lead up to the event. It was a great
showcase for the Charolais breed, demonstrating the strong
demand and interest in the breed, not just in Northern Ireland,
but worldwide.
- No bull works harder for the farmer, the plate and the planet - 89
September newsletter 22.indd 89 16/09/2022 15:01:38