Agricultural Shows in Leinster 2026

If you want one day out that sums up summer in rural Leinster, it's the local agricultural show. Prize cattle and showjumping in one ring, a vintage tractor line-up in another, home-baking and craft tents, a funfair for the kids, and a burger van doing brisk trade by lunchtime. The shows run from June through to the autumn, most of them on a single Saturday or Sunday, and most of them under a tenner to get in.

Here are the 2026 Leinster shows worth planning a day around, county by county, with the dates we can confirm and an honest hedge where the committee hasn't posted next year's date yet.

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Tinahely Show, County Wicklow

When is it: Mon 3 August 2026 (August Bank Holiday Monday), 8:30am to 6pm, at the showgrounds in Tinahely, south Wicklow.

The Tinahely Show is the big one in this part of Leinster. It has run since 1935 and pulls in north of 20,000 people across the day, which for a village show is a serious number. You get the full agricultural programme (cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and poultry), plus the Best of Wicklow exhibition, a craft village, home industries and a funfair to keep younger ones busy while the judging drags on.

Because it lands on the bank holiday Monday, it draws crowds from across Wicklow, Carlow and south Dublin. Go early. Gates open at 8:30am and the car parks fill through the morning, so arriving before 11am saves you a long walk in from the overflow field. Bring wellies or sturdy boots whatever the forecast says, sun cream, and cash for the food stalls and funfair (not every trader takes card on the showgrounds). Check ticket prices and the day's ring schedule on the official Tinahely Show site before you set off.

Family appeal: high. The funfair, pet show and dog classes give kids a reason to stay engaged, and the showgrounds are flat and pram-friendly once you're through the gate.

Tullow Show, County Carlow

When is it: Sun 16 August 2026, at Coppenagh, Tullow, County Carlow.

Tullow is a long-established show and a proper Carlow institution. The horse and pony classes are the heart of it, alongside cattle, sheep, vintage machinery, and the home-industries tent where the jam and brown-bread judging gets quietly competitive. It's a calmer, more rural day than Tinahely, which is part of the appeal if big crowds aren't your thing.

Parking is on grass at the showgrounds, so the wellies rule applies again after any wet spell. Entry is modest and usually free for younger children, but confirm the 2026 prices and gate times on the Tullow Agricultural Show site nearer the date. Tullow town is a short hop away if you want a sit-down lunch rather than a burger from the van.

Family appeal: good. Quieter than the bank-holiday shows, with animals, machinery and usually a small funfair, but fewer big-ticket attractions.

Gorey Show, County Wexford

When is it: Sat 20 June 2026, at Ashton, Ballycanew, near Gorey, County Wexford.

Gorey is the show that kicks off the Leinster season in earnest, landing in late June while the evenings are still long. It's a full one-day agricultural show with cattle, sheep, horse and pony classes, dog showing, vintage and craft sections, and trade stands. Being a June date, you've a fair chance of dry ground and a warm day, which makes it one of the easier shows to do with small children.

It's an easy run from the north Wexford and south Wicklow coast, so it pairs well with a beach afternoon in Courtown if the weather holds. Check the gate price and the year's programme on the Gorey Agricultural Show site before you travel.

Family appeal: good to high. The June timing and the seaside-day option nearby make it a strong family choice.

Bannow and Rathangan Show, County Wexford

When is it: usually early July. The 2026 date is expected around Thu 9 July, but check the show's own listing before you commit, as the committee confirms the day closer to summer.

Held in south Wexford, Bannow and Rathangan is a long-running show that takes place midweek, which makes it unusual. The format is the classic mix: livestock, horses, vintage machinery, home industries and trade stands. If you're in the southwest of the county, it's a handy alternative to the bigger weekend shows.

For a wider sweep of what's on in the county that weekend, our things to do in Wexford guide is a good place to start.

Meath: the Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival

When is it: typically late September. The 2026 dates were not confirmed at the time of writing, so check the festival's own channels before planning around it.

Meath's calendar leans more towards harvest and town festivals than a single county agricultural show, and the Dunshaughlin Harvest Festival is the one to make a day of. It's a multi-day community festival in south Meath with an agricultural and family flavour rather than a formal one-ring show, so expect parades, markets, live music and family events rather than rows of judging pens.

If you're building a Meath day around it, the Boyne Valley heritage sites are close enough to round out the trip.

Kildare and the wider Leinster show circuit

Kildare's show scene is smaller and more horse-focused, fitting for the county at the centre of Irish bloodstock. Rather than one big county fixture, the summer brings a run of local agricultural, vintage and breed-society shows, and the dates shift year to year. The safest approach is to check the national directory close to the date rather than rely on a fixed annual slot. If you're already in the county, the Irish National Stud and the Curragh make natural pairings with any horse-focused show day.

Two of the largest events in the wider region sit just over the Leinster line in Offaly and are worth knowing about if you're a serious show-goer. The Tullamore Show, Ireland's biggest one-day agricultural show, usually falls on the second Sunday in August (likely Sun 9 August 2026, to be confirmed). The National Ploughing Championships at Screggan near Tullamore are pencilled in for 15 to 17 September 2026. Both are a step up in scale from a county show and draw crowds from every Leinster county.

For the full national listing and any committee date you can't find elsewhere, the Irish Shows Association directory is the authoritative source. Always confirm a date there or on the individual show's own site before you travel, because committees can and do move shows by a week.

What to bring, and when to go

The same kit works for every show on this list. Wellies or sturdy boots, because showgrounds are fields and one wet morning turns them to muck. A waterproof and sun cream both, because it's Ireland in summer. Cash for the food vans, funfair and trade stalls, as card coverage on a temporary site is patchy. A buggy is fine on most flat showgrounds once you're through the gate.

Go in the morning if you can. The animals are fresher, the judging is live, parking is easier, and you beat the early-afternoon queues at the food stalls. Mid-afternoon is when the funfair and trade rings are busiest, so it suits families who'd rather skip the early start. One more tip for the bigger shows: dogs on leads are usually welcome, but the livestock rings and the funfair can be a lot for a nervous animal, so a quiet boot of the car beats a stressed-out pet by lunchtime.

Make a day of it nearby

The shows pair naturally with the countryside around them. After Tinahely, the south Wicklow hills and Glendalough are within easy reach for a walk or a drive, and our things to do in Wicklow guide rounds up the best of the Garden of Ireland. After Tullow, the Carlow countryside, Altamont Gardens and the river walks make a relaxed afternoon (see our things to do in Carlow guide). And Gorey sits a short drive from the north Wexford beaches if you want to finish the day by the sea.

If you'd rather hand the driving to someone else and make a longer day of the Wicklow scenery around show time, a guided trip can be an easy option:

• The Wild Wicklow Tour including Glendalough (from €55). A full-day loop through the Wicklow mountains, Glendalough and the south Wicklow countryside, the same landscape Tinahely sits in.
• Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains half-day tour (from €33). A shorter half-day option if you only want a taste of the hills and the monastic site.

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