Dwayne Shiels Named 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year

Dwayne Shiels, a pedigree sheep farmer from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal has been named the 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year.
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Dwayne has also been named category award winner for Land Mobility. In addition to farming, Dwayne is a lecturer in Agricultural Sciences at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal.

He was one of many talented young farmers to be recognised for their achievements on Tuesday night.

The evening also saw a number of additional category winners:

Dwayne Shiels, 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year, photograph by Paul ConnorDwayne Shiels, 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year, photograph by Paul Connor
Dwayne Shiels, 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year, photograph by Paul Connor

- Patrick Egan of Mayo was named Runner-up and the winner of the Drystock category;

- Stephen O Keeffe of Limerick won Best New Entrant;

- Philip Tallon of Meath won Other Enterprises category;

- Sean Kelly of Tipperary won the Dairy category;

- Conor Doran of Wexford won the Biodiversity Young Farmer of the Year award.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards, which were held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Sligo, home county of last year’s winner Christopher Tuffy.

Marty Morrissey, who was the evening’s Master of Ceremonies, entertained the crowd and the past winners in attendance were invited on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards.

Elaine Houlihan, Macra National President, said: “The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, commitment and hard work of young farmers across Ireland. Tonight’s winner, Dwayne Shiels, is a shining example of the talent of Ireland’s young farmers.

"In fact, all of the finalists here tonight highlight the best and the brightest in the industry. What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards than with a slate of such high calibre candidates. Congratulations to Dwayne and all of tonight’s winners.”

Tomás Ó'Midheach, CEO, FBD Insurance, said: "On behalf of the team at FBD, I would like to extend our congratulations to Dwayne Shiels. This award is a testament to Dwayne’s hard work, passion and commitment.

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