All Ireland All Border Show In Memory of Tom Furley Part 1

When the idea came to me this fall that this was the year to attend a Border show in Ireland, I was very sure that the time was right and when contacted to judge shows, I confidently gave my regrets as I was for the very first time going to Ireland to a Border show. After calling Paul Dee, he mailed me Border show schedule and recommended the Irish Border Fancy Canary Club All Ireland All Border Show. Then I posted a request on the blog for a show before and after All Ireland All Border Show and selected the Swords show the weekend before. because of its large entry of Irish Fancy which I wanted to learn more about judging as they are beginning to be entered regularly at US shows. I called Robert Bennett and he immediately suggested that we stay with them as long as we wanted while in Ireland! I arrived in Ireland on Friday  and the next morning, John Furley kindly picked me up to go to the Sword show. On the way he told me the All Ireland All Border the following weekend was in memory of his father Tom Furley! I could hardly believe my ears, Tom Furley was an e-mail friend for many years from at least twenty years ago! How honored I was to come to his memorial show!

When judging began, the stewards place a class on each of the three judging table according to a schedule in which each class was rotated among the three judges. Class 1 Clear or ticked yellow cock was assigned to J. McKay, Class 2 Clear or ticked yellow hen was assigned to I. Southgate and Class 3 clear or ticked buff cock was assigned to M. Symonds.

Once the class entries are on the judging table, the judge walked around and began sorting them.

As the class judging progressed the judge compares the birds to determine the placement of the top seven in each class.

At the same time, McKay pictured is sorting his class. And across the gym, Symonds is working his class.

At times, the judges would confer about the class placement. Here Southgate and McKay confer.

Finally all the class winners are reviewed by the three judges to determine all the show winners.