At just 20, Seán Dunne from Laragh has done something no one from outside New Zealand had managed before. The Wicklow sheep shearing champion was crowned New Zealand’s top junior shearer after a long season of competition, then came home and picked up the Irish national intermediate title in Mountbellew, Co Galway.
Dunne told RTÉ it was “a good feeling”, a simple line that suits the scale of the achievement. Over the New Zealand season, which runs from October to April, he competed in as many as 30 to 40 events. Points were awarded for speed, clean finishing and careful handling, with judges looking at how much wool was left behind and whether any cuts were made.
A season that put a Wicklow sheep shearing champion on top
The numbers alone tell their own story. Dunne reckons he has sheared about 70,000 sheep since taking up the work at 17. Depending on the breed, a single sheep can take him anywhere from a minute and a half to three minutes. In New Zealand, he noted, the job can be tougher because sheep carry wool on their heads and legs as well.
This is skilled, physical work. It also runs in the family. Dunne’s father, Tom, has competed around the world, while his grandfather Paddy won four All-Ireland titles. For Dunne, that family line matters. He said it is “nice to carry on the family tradition”.
- He has worked shearing seasons in Ireland, New Zealand and Norway
- He competed across 30 to 40 New Zealand events this season
- He won the Irish national intermediate title soon after returning home
The Wicklow sheep shearing champion plans to continue showing around Ireland and the UK for the rest of the season. And if his own words are any guide, he is only getting started: “It’s what I love to do … I don’t think I could ever see myself doing anything else.” For a Wicklow sheep shearing champion, that sounds like both a promise and a plan.
Image Courtesy: The Irish Times
