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A new book charting the history of competitive sheep shearing in Northern Ireland is to be officially launched at Balmoral Show tomorrow 13 May 2026, with all proceeds going to charity.
Shear Success is a limited edition of 500 copies, with fundraising split evenly between Air Ambulance NI and Cancer Research UK.
The book centres on the life of 85-year-old Edwin Adams, the 1971 British Sheep Shearing Champion, the first Ulsterman to hold that title, and a European Gold Medallist. Edwin is the oldest remaining competitive Northern Ireland sheep shearer and played a key role in establishing the first official machine shearing competition at Balmoral Show in 1960. As well as tracing his journey as a top shearer, instructor and judge, the book charts the development of competitive shearing in Northern Ireland and his contribution to the organisation of sheep shearing within the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society at Balmoral Show.
Shear Success also features stories of young shearers, wool handlers and shearing families, and explores the wider significance of wool as a natural, sustainable and biodegradable fibre. As one contributor puts it: "This is a story of heritage, but not nostalgia. Wool is not a relic. It is a solution hiding in plain sight."
The author is Ian Harvey MBE a former BBC senior producer, broadcaster and agricultural journalist. A retired Royal Ulster Agricultural Society Council Member and former President and International Delegate of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists of Ireland, Ian has given his time freely as his personal contribution to the charitable effort. The cost of publishing has been taken on by Edwin Adams personally, with additional support from Danske Bank and Lakeland Dairies Ltd.
The launch will take place in the Sheep Shearing Pavilion at Balmoral Show tomorrow morning, immediately after the Young Farmers Clubs Sheep Shearing Competition concludes around 12.00pm, during the short break before the competition results are announced. Copies will be on sale at the show following the launch.
The members of the County Londonderry Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster County Committee have also backed the book's charitable aims and are planning a fund-raising Speed Shearing Competition in the county later in the autumn.
