The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society has announced Alfie Murray from Ballygowan as judge of the Ulster Housewife’s Championship and Patrick “Packie” Donnelly from Ballymena as the Breeding Heifer judge at this year’s Royal Ulster Premier Beef & Lamb Championships.
Alfie Murray
With decades of experience in the butchery trade, Alfie runs one of the longest established butcher shops in Northern Ireland, Alfie Murray Family Butchers in Killyleagh. This popular shop found on the shores of Strangford Lough was established over 60 years ago and is owned by three generations of the Murray family – Alfie, his father Alfie Senior and son Ryan.
A third-generation farming family, the Murrays farm over 200 ewes on their 50-acre farmstead in Ballygowan. With their holding also diversifying into turkey, geese, and chunky chicks, visitors to the farm shop can enjoy their local produce each week. As a thriving business and to keep up with demand, the family also purchase all their beef from local livestock markets to guarantee they only provide the best cuts and premium quality.
A proud supporter of the Show, Alfie previously judged the lamb classes in 2021 and purchased first place Dorset lambs in 2020. His relationship with the event dates back to the Allam’s legacy when he attended the King’s Hall with his father who was a regular buyer at the previous annual show and sale. Alfie has also judged at numerous local and Christmas Shows in recent years and highlighted that ‘it’s an honour to be asked to judge the Ulster Housewife’s Championship with a line up presented by the leading producers in the world, the Northern Ireland farmers’.
Commenting further on this year’s event Alfie’s ideal champion ‘needs to have a fat covering. It is so important as not only does it allow us [as butchers] to dry age the animal, but it also adds that perfect flavour to the meat’.
Patrick “Packie” Donnelly
Packie’s passion for agriculture began on his family farm which spreads across Martinstown and Rathkenny on the outskirts of Ballymena. He now runs their beef and sheep enterprise with the help of his wife Rhonda.
His commitment to investing in top quality livestock has led him to purchase both heifer calves and ewe lambs which he runs through to sell once a year at maiden heifer and breeding hogget sales.
Packie also has excellent experience within the showing ring as he has exhibited commercial cattle and pedigree and commercial sheep at many shows throughout Northern Ireland, as well as judging the Housewife’s Choice at the old Allam’s Fatstock Show and Sale.
As a judge at this year’s Royal Ulster Premier Beef & Lamb Championships, Packie’s champion heifer will be ‘powerful, stylish, clean and correct, irrespective of her breed or colour’. Commenting further on the Show, Packie said ‘It’s an honour to be asked and I’m looking forward to seeing the top-quality stock that I know will be shown’.
The seventh Royal Ulster Premier Beef & Lamb Championships will take place on Tuesday 26th November at the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Lisburn. To keep up to date with the latest news and running order for the day follow the Royal Ulster Premier Beef & Lamb Championships on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
