Cattle farmer swaps wellies for glitter to harvest pedigree reward

She'd be back in the wellies soon enough. But last night, Maura Horgan's plans were to paint Ballingeary red.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," gushed the new National Farm Woman of the Year. "It's impossible to describe how I feel. Just buzzing," she added.

Ms Horgan, resplendent in purple dress and long, glittering multi-coloured cardigan, was chosen as the foremost farm woman of 2001 for her work managing a suckling farm on 60 acres outside Ballingeary village, Macroom, Co Cork. She has built up a pedigree herd of Belgian Blue and Limousin cattle.

As the result was announced yesterday a whoop of delight was heard from the back of the House of Lords room in Dublin's Bank of Ireland on College Green.

Collecting her prize - a Dublin Crystal trophy and £3,000 - from the Tβnaiste, Ms Harney, the young farmer declared: "It's been a long time coming."

Ms Horgan has been entering the competition since it began three years ago and said she could never understand why she did not get into the finals.

Her husband, Eamonn, who runs his own fattening business near their home, said he was thrilled for her, while daughters Rebecca (7) and Theresa (10) obliged photographers by holding up the framed certificate their mother had won.

The Farm Women of The Year Awards were initiated in 1998 by the Irish Farmers' Association, the Irish Farmers' Journal and Bank of Ireland. Open to women from all 32 counties its aim is "to recognise the invaluable contribution that farm women make to the agricultural industry in Ireland".

The Alternative Enterprise Award went to Ms Anne Keating from Clogheen, Co Tipperary, for her development of Bay Lough cheese, Ireland's only licensed unpasteurised cheddar.

When asked what she planned to do with the £3,000 prize money, Ms Horgan did not hesitate: "We'll buy a couple of cows."