Mayo brothers to represent Ireland at World Shearing Championships in New Zealand

THE Hopkins brothers from Drummin, Westport, are preparing to take on the world’s best sheep shearers when the World Shearing Championships get underway in New Zealand from March 4 to 7.

Martin and James Hopkins, who grew up on a farm in Drummin, have travelled to New Zealand ahead of the competition to acclimatise and get practice in ahead of what promises to be a gruelling event. This is especially important as its the off season for shearing in Ireland.

Both men will compete in blade shearing — a traditional method using hand-held shears — where competitors are judged on the quality and neatness of the shear, their handling and welfare of the animal, and time efficiency. They will both be taking to the stage on Thursday, March 5.

In blade shearing, competitors are judged not only on the speed of the shear but on the overall quality and neatness of the fleece, ideally removed in a single cut, and on how calmly and carefully the sheep is handled throughout. “It's nearly more enjoyable than electric shearing,” Martin has said of the discipline.

Martin, 28, is a Wood Technology and Graphics teacher at Rice College in Westport, while his younger brother James, 26, works as a carpenter. Both men have been shearing sheep since they were just eleven or twelve years old, first competing seriously in their mid-teens, and have gone on to become two of Ireland's most decorated shearers.

This will be Martin's second World Championships, having represented Ireland in France in 2019, where he finished 5th in the World Team Final alongside teammate Peter Heraty. He earned his place on this year's team by winning the National Title in Mountbellew and is the current All-Ireland blade shearing champion.

READ MORE: Westport men to represent Ireland at world shearing championships

James, meanwhile, is also no stranger to the world stage. At the 2023 World Championships at the Highland Show in Edinburgh, he and teammate Peter Heraty finished 6th in the World Team Final — but he didn't stop there, going on to win the Big International Open, beating blade shearers from across the globe. A two-time All-Ireland blade shearing champion, James qualified for this year's squad through competitions last summer, including the All-Ireland in Donegal.

The brothers will compete individually as well as together as part of Ireland's Blade Team, with Martin taking to the floor on Thursday. South Africa have long been the dominant force in blade shearing at world level, though New Zealand — who are hosting this year's event — are perennial contenders and won the last World Championships in 2019, the first time a country other than South Africa had taken the title in twenty years.

Challenge
ONE added challenge for the Hopkins brothers is getting used to the sheep themselves. Back home, all shearing is done during the summer months of June, July, and August, meaning the brothers are arriving during Ireland's off-season. New Zealand sheep also differ in breed and wool type from what the pair are used to in Mayo, where much of Ireland's blade shearing tradition is concentrated. The brothers have been shearing locally in New Zealand in the weeks before the competition to get a feel for the different animals. Joining the many Mayo supporters cheering them on from home will be their proud parents, neighbours and friends in Drummin.

The event can be watched online through the Golden Shears website, where a streaming link will be made available for viewers wishing to follow the brothers’ progress.