Summer is a busy time for many but if you have an interest in sheep shearing, and even if you don’t, Lochearnhead Shears offers the perfect mid-summer respite to mix with shearers from across the world.

With an atmosphere rivalled by few others, the annual event welcomes some of the world’s best shearers to the wee village in the country’s heartland, which has been referred to by some as the shearing capital of Scotland. It’s not just the location that attracts the big names however, but the lure of shearing Scotland’s hardy Blackface and the need to be clipping your best from the very start in order to make it to the four-man final. 

From humble beginnings in a garden with just a three-man stage back in 1993, the competition is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this year and chairing the committee is a Lochearnhead local and multiple winner of the open title, Hamish Mitchell. 

“Lochearnhead has always been the one that everyone wants to win – the fact that there are just four stands in the final compared to the usual six, the history of the event and the time of year means it attracts all the top guys to an area that has always been a hub for shearers,” said Hamish.

Rhoda Keenan, who has been secretary for the past 10 years but was involved for many years before that, continued: “Our aim has always been to promote shearing through some top competition as well as encourage the younger shearers just starting out. It’s for this reason we started the development test, allowing the top two juniors the chance to travel to Ireland to compete against the top two Irish juniors and develop their skills.

“Back in the early days, no-one would ever have thought it could reach the heights it did – we even welcomed 63 shearers in the open competition one year which is just unheard of. That’s why we moved from a one-day event to the current two days with woolhandling heats on the Friday followed by all the shearing and the woolhandling finals on the Saturday,” pointed out Rhoda, adding the woolhandling section has really grown in the last five years. 

It attracts the biggest names too – David Fagan, the New Zealand legend recently dubbed a Sir, has added a few Lochearnhead titles to his extensive haul of open wins. In addition, Paul Avery, Tom Wilson, New Zealanders John Kirkpatrick and Rowland Smith, as well as Scotland’s own Gavin Mutch, all world-leading shearers in their own rights, have all treaded the boards in years gone by. But, as Hamish points out, it’s the Blackie that really draws in the foreign names as they hope to be able to develop their skills with different breeds.

“The horns do hinder a lot of the top guys until they get used to them but it’s the charisma of the Blackie that is just as hard to master. Hill-bred and heather-fed was how one man once described them to me and it sums them up entirely,” explained Hamish. “The Scots are acclimatised to them so may have a home advantage, but a lot of the big names took one or two years of working in Scotland before they managed to win at Lochearnhead.

“It’s the patriotism of the crowd that keeps it going too as there’s some cheer when the Scots take to the board and we’ve had up to 30 New Zealanders performing the Haka which is another annual highlight, as well as the dance that follows,” he added. 

There are some prestigious trophies up for grabs too, including the Joe Te Kapa Memorial Trophy, cast from the late Joe’s last handpiece and presented to the winning team in the Scotland vs New Zealand test, as well as the Colin MacGregor Salver for the best pen score in any final, as well as many others. Added to the event list for this year will be the open plate for the best placed open shearer from ninth onwards which has not made it to an open final at Lochearnhead. 

“I definitely think if we can encouraging the young ones to keep going and keep competing then the competition and others like it will be strong for years to come. It’s ever changing though and there are a lot of competitors out there so we’ve got to listen to what they want, and that goes for both shearers and woolhandlers,” pointed out Hamish, who also expressed his gratitude to all the sheep suppliers, hauliers, sponsors and faces behind the scenes. 

“This year we’d also love to see some of the originals come along that haven’t had a go in the last 20 years and give it a shot.” 

Whether you’re a shearer or woolhandler keen to put your skills to the test, or fancy soaking up the atmosphere and cheering on your favourites, the 25th Lochearnhead Shears on Friday, June 29, and Saturday, June 30, is the place to be.