Belfast & District Irish Setter Club

Belfast & District Irish Setter Club held an open show on 24 September 2022 where Best in show was Donnelly’s Forfarian Mind Yer Manners; RBIS Brady’s Forfarian Red Or Dead; BPIS Chorley-Newton, Chorley & Flinders’ Kerryfair Just Be; & BVIS Donnelly’s Int/Ir Ch Millcroft Whispering Moon.

My thanks to the hardworking officers & committee together with my stewards for their organisational abilities.

VD/B 1. Donnelly’s Int/Ir Ch Millcroft Whispering Moon, BV, elegant well balanced 10 year-old with a typical outline. Dark well shaped eyes set in a feminine head with good ear set. Lengthy neck into well laid shoulders, good depth, correct angulation front & rear. Moved so well for her age; 2. Toms’ Clannrua Birch, RBD, balanced, masculine, dark eyed 7 year-old with deep chest & good angulation, not giving his best on the move; 3. McKelvey’s Ir Sh/Int Ch Caemgen’s for Heaven’s Sake at Edenaveys.

PD/B 1. Chorley-Newton, Chorley & Flinders’ Kerryfair Just Be, BP, compact 10 month-old lad with a lovely outline showing his excellent balance. Appealing head & expression, well developed chest & body for his age with gently sloping topline & good overall proportions, super jacket. Needs to settle in movement particularly at the rear but a promising puppy with time on his side; 2. Park, Hough & Kelly’s Ladysdale Seamus Heaney, very raw at present, needing time to mature & settle.

JD 1. Walker’s Gwendariff Ucan’t Touch This, attractive head, strong bone, well sprung ribs, dark coat, scored in movement & maturity over 2. Park, Hough & Kelly’s Ladysdale Oscar Wilde, soundly constructed youngster who, like his brother in the previous class, is still raw & needs time to settle & develop.

YD 1. G Ucan’t Touch This; 2. McKelvey’s Edenavey’s Unforgettable, another at a very raw, rangy stage of his development & was making his handler work hard. The essentials are all there & movement was OK when he put his mind to it.

GD 1. Walker’s Gwendarriffs Flags Are Flyin, nice head with attractive eye, good shoulders & depth of chest, nice topline, correct hindquarters. Lovely well conditioned coat covered his well balanced body. Moved on an even stride.

LD 1. Clarke’s Ardbraccan Urban Myth, top size male with dark eye, reasonable topline, went well enough.

OD 1. Donnelly’s Forfarian Mind Yer Manners, quality dog of nice type, well proportioned all through, masculine but not overdone, pleasing head with nice expression from dark eyes, good front with correct shoulder placement, sloping topline through to strong well angulated quarters put to good use on the move; pushed hard by 2. Toms’ Ir Sh Ch Toberbilly I wish You Luck, pleasing head & gentle expression, front matches rear to give overall balance, went well.

JB 1. Toms’ Ladysdale Maude Gonne, very raw but has an elegant head with low set ears, good depth for her age with nice topline.

YB 1. Robinson’s Clannrua Morrigan; 2. Murphy’s Clannrua Ériu. A pair of litter sisters who will no doubt change places many times throughout their careers as there is little to separate them. Both have feminine heads with nice eyes & expressions, winner was slightly taller than her sister, who has a better front, but 1 was more steady & confident on the move & when being handled.

PGB 1. McKelvey’s Toberbilly Element Of Luck for Edenaveys, well boned & mature with pleasant head & eye, balanced with nice feminine outline & good topline, ample depth of chest & ribbing. Moved on a good stride.

LB 1. Park, Hough & Kelly’s Ardbraccan Urbane Legacy, nice head, long neck into good shoulders, topline & hindquarters OK, went well.

OB Two very nice bitches who could easily change places on another day. 1. Brady’s Forfarian Red Or Dead, BB, RBIS, such a quality bitch of lovely type, so balanced & elegant, sweet feminine head & super expression, correct length of neck fits smoothly into shoulders, gently sloping topline leads to well angulated hindquarters. Moved correctly. Liked her very much & thought she would beat her brother for BOB but she didn’t take well to the change of handler in the challenge; Sterritt’s Ir Sh Ch Corranroo Just One Kiss with Riversett, RBB, pushed winner hard, another of quality, pretty head & delightful expression, very balanced overall with good conformation throughout, moved happily & soundly.