From cookery to patchwork, entries for craft section of Longford Show are significantly increased

Olive Quinn is one of the joint craft secretaries of the Longford Show (alongside Cynthia Geelan).

The craft section has grown significantly and this year, there will be 140 exhibitors, with up to 600 exhibits on show.

“The entries for the craft section are well up on last year,” Olive stated.

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There is a wide range of activities covered by the craft section - from cookery to photography to patchwork.

There is also an extensive children’s section.

“The Nellie Murphy Perpetual Cup is presented to the winners of one of the cookery competitions,” Olive explained.

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“Both men and women are competing in the kitchen competitions. There will be competitors from other counties and there will also be confined sections for Longford,” she added.

In the cookery section, there are sections for areas such as brown bread and decorative cakes.

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The ICA, of which Olive is a member, are heavily involved in the show.

“The ICA runs the cafe, which is large. The ICA put in a huge effort for the show. They hold a raffle and another thing they are involved in is the Boxty competition,” Olive explained.

There is huge interest in the children’s section of the show.

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“The kids are very creative. It is unreal what they can do. They work on things such as decorative stones in the craft section,” she explained.

There are children’s sections running from U7 up to teenage years.

“There is great creativity generally in the crafts area of the show. It is like a little town,” she added.

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Olive works alongside Cynthia Geelan, who she credits with getting her involved in the show. “Cynthia Geelan is the main person in the crafts section. I got involved to help her around seven years ago,” Olive explained.

The crafts section of the show has diverse talent on show, ranging from pathwork to woodwork to upcycle.

“Crafters also sell their wares in the trade stands,” Olive explained.

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