Hello, name is Leon Moore, I won this year’s World Skills Ireland 2024 Craft Butchery Apprenticeship Competition sponsored by Mayo Sligo Leitrim Education and Training Board, and due to my success here, I have qualified to represent Ireland in the apprenticeship category at the World Butchers Challenge in Paris, March 2025. I started working as a butcher at the age of 19 just before Christmas in FX Buckleys Talbot Street. I worked there for almost a year until the closing of the shop, I then moved out to their shop in Nutgrove Shopping Centre for my final Christmas with Buckleys.
Straight after Christmas I started working in Kerrigan’s Butchers, Malahide, almost two years later and I have worked in all their locations. I love the fast work rate, and learning the multitude of skills required to be a good butcher and to furthermore run a good butcher shop. From breaking and boning to sales, marketing and people skills. Even the difference between how each shop is ran based off the shop’s location and difference in customers, if you are fully engaged it is hard to be bored as there is always something to do and learn.
After working for a year in Kerrigan’s I got the chance to do my apprenticeship, I was more than happy to take the chance as I believed I could learn more than I could in the shop by taking part, I wanted to really advance my knowledge and skillset as I know that I want to have my own business someday. I love being on the apprenticeship, there is a wealth of information to learn, and the mentors are extremely insightful. If there is a question they don’t know the answer to they can find it. The modules cover essentially everything to do with butchery from industry skills and ICT to practical meat cutting and even the slaughter process.
I was halfway through my first year of the apprenticeship when I was told I had the chance to do the preliminary round for the World Skills Ireland Craft Butchery Competition. It was my first time doing any type of butchery competition, so I was eager to take the chance. I had an hour to break down a full lion of pork on the bone and make ten different products from roasting to innovative. Being my first time butchering at competition level it was a bit hectic, but I pulled through just fine and made it into the competition.
The competition took place over three days in the RDS, there was some madness and unfortunately, I ended up getting a bad cut on my finger after the first day’s competition. I was advised on going to the hospital for stitches, but I knew if I did I would have to drop out, so I decided to push through and get it seen to after, now I’m happy that I did. During the competition there was a great atmosphere, in all honesty the three days seemed to fly in. We all wanted to win but there was no negativity between the competitors, even though we were in competition with each other we were all there to help each other if something went wrong. I was not expecting to win to be honest I was in shock when I did as I knew that the winner would compete in Paris 2025.
I am excited to now have the chance to represent my country, looking back over the year I would have never thought that butchery would present such opportunities. And now that I am going to Paris I have even more training to do, I am happy to see growth in my skills so far and am excited to see how much further I can push myself.
I would recommend anyone doing their apprenticeship to take the opportunity, if possible, there is great support from everyone involved it is worth the work. The hard work does pay off, you really don’t know how far you can go unless you just go for it.
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