Pictured above: Frank Buckley receiving the award from Adam Woods, Irish Farmers Journal
The National Hall of Fame Awards 2023 were presented at the Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, on Sunday, April 30th. The awards – that are sponsored by FBD Insurance, ABP, Kepak, Aurivo, Bord Bia and the Certified Angus Producer Group – recognise the achievements and commitment of the worthy recipients in each breed.
The Irish Limousin Cattle Society named Frank Buckley as a worthy 2023 Hall of Fame recipient.
Frank Buckley
Frank purchased his first pedigree Limousin female in 1999 and hence the Mistic herd was founded. Over the next few years with further purchases and a comprehensive breeding programme the herd expanded. Participation in both club and National events saw the Mistic prefix achieving success with the herd featuring prominently in club finals, herds competitions, sales and the National Limousin show.
One very notable achievement was the sale of a bull Mistic Gucci to the Illingworth family located in Scotland for their renowned Glenrock herd.
Frank’s eye for cattle resulted in him becoming an official Limousin judge which saw him officiating at events throughout the country and in the UK with his name being highly respected.
As an active member of his local Cork Limousin club Frank’s excellent interpersonal skills were quickly recognised by the members and he became an officer of the club. His involvement in the Cork club and his skill set led to his appointment on the ILCS Council where he served for a number of years holding a number of positions including treasurer of the society. During his time on the ILCS Council Frank continually strived to ensure that both the breed and breeders were to the fore with his participation in a number of Society sub committees.
The fact that he held a Senior Research role in Teagasc meant that his in-depth knowledge of animal breeding was an extremely valuable asset to the Society and its breeders in formulating breeding programmes, evaluating breed indexes and designing systems of data collection relevant to the breed.
Similarly his quest for the breed to be involved in new initiatives led him to design the Limo Leader Health Scheme which enabled breeders to participate at a discounted price in a herd health scheme licenced by Cattle Health Certification Standards ( CHeCS ) and supported by Animal Health Ireland (AHI), a scheme which has proved to be a major success.
Without doubt one of Frank’s most significant roles within the Society was his involvement in organising the 2016 International Limousin Conference which was hosted by ILCS and saw a large number of international delegates visit the country for eight days in July 2016.
Through his attention to detail with every aspect of the itinerary, his ability to attract significant financial sponsorship, his delegation skills and motivation of all organising committees were one of the main reasons why this conference was such a resounding success.
When one considers his impact on the breed, the unselfish contribution made with countless hours and miles travelling for the good of the breed, his attention to detail, the courteous manner in which he conducted himself with anyone he met and his genuine willingness to help all within the breed makes Professor Frank Buckley a most worthy recipient of the 2023 Limousin Hall of Fame Award.
