History of the Show

When the first Strokestown Show was held on 26 September 1867, it took place in the deer park of the Strokestown demesne, with the grounds of Strokestown Park providing a fitting backdrop for a new agricultural society with big ambitions.

The years after the Great Famine had brought change to Irish farming, and Strokestown was no exception. The area had become an important flax-growing district, but local landowners and tenant farmers recognised the need to encourage better farming practice and a broader agricultural future. Out of that thinking came Strokestown Farming Society, formed to educate, encourage and support the farming community.

From the beginning, the show was both practical and social. It gave farmers a place to compare stock, learn from one another and compete with pride, while also giving families and visitors a day out that quickly became a highlight of the local calendar. Early reports praised the quality of the livestock on display, especially the Roscommon sheep that helped build the show’s reputation far beyond the town itself.

Through the decades, Strokestown Show grew with the community around it. It became associated for generations with the Fairgreen, where horses, cattle, sheep, produce, crafts and home industries all had their place. By the early 20th century, the show was firmly established as one of the county’s leading agricultural events, drawing competitors, judges and visitors from across Roscommon and beyond.

Its history has never stood still. A driving competition was added in 1916. Young farmers’ stock judging became a feature in 1949. Cookery, craft, garden produce, poultry, dogs, horses, ponies, cattle and sheep all became part of a programme that reflected rural life in its widest sense. In 1967, the show marked its centenary, celebrating 100 years of voluntary effort and community support.

The 1970s brought one of the most colourful chapters in the show’s history, when major sponsorship and high-profile show jumping put Strokestown on the national stage. The famous car prize attracted attention across the country, and in 1972 Eddie Macken won the controversial Chrysler Hunter competition at Strokestown Park.

The show’s connection with place has also been part of its story. After many years on the Fairgreen, the sale of that traditional site in 1989 marked the end of an era. The show continued for a number of years in Diffley’s field before returning to the grounds of Strokestown Park in 1996, bringing the event back to the historic setting where its story had begun.

Even in difficult times, Strokestown Show found a way forward. In 2002, during the foot-and-mouth crisis, the show received permission to stage a livestock event under special arrangements, with cattle and sheep shown on separate days. In 2016, the show celebrated 150 years and introduced its first food fair, strengthening the link between farming, local produce and the people who bring food from field to table.

For generations, the show was regarded as the longest continuously running agricultural show in the country. That remarkable run was finally interrupted by Covid-19 restrictions, when the show could not proceed in 2020 or 2021 — the first time in its history that the annual event did not take place.

Today, Strokestown Show remains a proud celebration of agriculture, rural life and community spirit. Its success continues to depend on the people who have always made it possible: the volunteers who give their time, the exhibitors who bring the quality, the sponsors who lend their support, and the visitors who return year after year.

More than 150 years after that first gathering in Strokestown demesne, the show continues to honour its past while looking confidently to the future - a living tradition in the heart of Strokestown.