Drummin native wins at major sheep shearing competition

TWO men reared in the shadow of the Reek have flown the Mayo flag by placing first and fourth at the Golden Shears Sheep Shearing and Woolhandling World Championships.

Peter Heraty, from Owenwee, and James Hopkins, from Drummin, were welcomed home by family and neighbours when they landed home in Ireland West Airport Knock following their win at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland.

Mr Hopkins won the All-Nations Blade Shearing category outright while Mr Heraty finished fourth.

On Sunday, the pair placed sixth in the world representing Ireland in the Golden Shears World Blades Team Event.

Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday (Monday), a humble James Hopkins admitted that he wasn’t expecting to win.

“It was a good feeling. I wasn’t expecting it anyway,” said Mr Hopkins, who also works as a carpenter.

“I got a phone call from home during the day… and I said that we were going good that myself and Peter… that we had made it through to the semi-final. I said ‘Don’t be expecting any more now!’ I said ‘That’s as good as it’s going to get.’ But Jesus, the two of us then qualified for the final and then we showed well, and I ended up winning it.”

Neither was he expecting the large crowd which turned up to welcome him home at Knock airport.

For now, Mr Hopkins - who entered his first competition at the age of eleven – will turn his attention to Donegal, where the upcoming All-Ireland sheep shearing competition will take place in August.

“We do have good aul craic between us when we’re not competing and then when we are competing, we’ll be taking it serious but as soon as it’s over we’re back having the craic again. We do meet a lot of people as well with the interest,” he said when asked to describe what he enjoys about the competition.

Separately, Ivan Scott, a Donegal man living in Kilmaine, finished fifth in the World Individual Machine final at the same event.