What a joy it has been to see the return of Northern Ireland’s much-loved Balmoral Show after two and a half years

One of the big advantages of holding the Balmoral Show at the old Maze prison site is space.

One of the big disadvantages of the much-loved King’s Hall venue was it was cramped.

Balmoral Park has ample room for exhibitions, and wide walking areas between them, and for car parking.

The space at the new site was all the more obvious yesterday, without some of the queues to get in of recent years.

Covid restrictions are still taking their toll on any full return to normality.

Yet for all the grey weather on Friday, Balmoral had what seemed like its third successful day.

Today it should have its fourth, as the show returns to an older tradition of being a four-day event (in recent decades it had become a three-day affair).

The autumn is not a natural time for agricultural shows, but better now than not at all. There had been no Balmoral in May last year or May this year due to coronavirus.

Despite what has seemed like reduced numbers of visitors this year, the atmosphere was still thriving, with people coming from across these islands.

Balmoral styles itself as an agrifood event, and there has been certainly a lot of food on offer.

But it is still seen as fundamentally a farming event in a society in which farming and rural life holds such a cherished place. And what a joy it is to see it back.

——— ———

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Ben Lowry

Acting Editor