Sweet success of honey show

Some of the greatest minds in Irish honey, arguably even the world, collected in one room at this year’s Virginia Show.

Close to the busy main hall the modest venue still drew a constant stream of visitors. One half of the room was cordoned off, the reserve of the show judges allocating rosettes.

To the uninitiated, it seems impossible to objectively pick a winning honey. For the last decade, Virginia Show has enlisted the expertise of Redmond Williams. Nearby John Donohoe, President of the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Association adjudicated the frames of honey. These are Ireland’s top honey minds.

Redmond employs a full sensory approach in determining the best. Using the medium honey category as an example, Redmond immediately eliminates contenders by comparing the jars with a colour card depicting the lightest shade permitted.

“That’s in the wrong class,” he says of a much paler jar.

He then scrutinises with a torch, searching for minuscule debris from the hive: “Any specks and they will be disqualified as well,” he says of the unforgiving criteria as another jar leaves the running.

“If you listen to that?” Redmond says unscrewing a lid. “There’s no noise - so those threads are actually dirty. Now listen to this one” he says, opening a second jar which obliges with a rasp: “Metal on glass,” he says approvingly.

“The next test then is the aroma. Smell,” he implores holding up a jar.

“It’s all comparison, which one do you like, this one or that one?”

Next he tests the water content by dipping a tiny spatula and letting the honey drip off the end.

“Which is more dense?”

I pick one - fortunately Redmond agrees.

“That one’s better again,” he says urging me to dip another jar. The honey takes seconds to regain its shape.

At last we taste them.

“That’s really lovely,” I worthlessly declare.

“Things will get better,” he assures.

“Isn’t that way better than those?” he says concluding the crash course.

“First, second, third and fourth,” he says as he points at the different jars.

“This requires a fierce dedication - to actually produce that. They select the honey, process it differently, strain it, filter it, clean the lids, clean the jar - this is an obsession.”

He’s not exaggerating. The quality of contender in Virginia is personified by the man standing next to him, Cliff Deegan, also from County Clare.

“I had honey here at this show last year and the judges liked it, and they suggested I bring it with me to London, that there was something special about it,” he explained. “That was whitethorn honey.”

London was the venue for the Honey World Cup in November 2023, and Cliff’s whitethorn honey was so special it bestowed on him the title of World Champion.

“It was a big stepping stone,” he said of Virginia Show 2023. “It pushed me on.”

Cliff modestly defers to Redmond’s expertise, noting he’s won the prestigious Clonmel Honey Show 15 times, and is a double World Champion.

Another beekeeping stalwart in the room is Ken Norton, secretary of the Federation of the Irish Beekeepers Associations. Originally from Dublin, he jokes he’s on a witness protection programme in Killucan. He has a slightly different take on the wholesome pursuit.

“We’re beekeepers as far as I’m concerned, if we get honey it’s a bonus because you have to bear in mind the bees aren’t making the honey for us, it’s for themselves.”

He advises a cautious approach for anyone thinking of a cottage industry.

“If you are getting into it to make honey, and to make money, you would need a minimum of 25 hives.”

Alan Brady does sell honey, along with his wife Siobhán O’Riordan through their company Tullyvin Honey, but he still regards it as a hobby.

He was inspired as a youngster by an elderly neighbour, Francie McMahon. Alan’s mother would send him up with a dinner for Francie.

“He had a rheumatoid arthritis and he used to purposely put his hand into the hive to get stung - it would give him relief,” recalls Alan.

“Now we have Gwyneth Paltrow, and these ones getting bee sting therapy, so he was ahead of his time!”

Francie created a makeshift beekeepers garb with the veil curtain for Alan and the pair would collect the honey.

“There were a couple of other bachelors around the area and once they heard there was a young fella mad for a bit of beekeeping, that was it - I got hooked, and I’m at it ever since.”