Armagh’s most up-and-coming junior dog handler, Dearbhla Nugent has done it yet again as she returns home from Crufts 2026 with a number of fresh titles to add to her ever-growing portfolio.
Back in December 2025, Armagh I spoke to the 14-year-old St Catherine’s College pupil following her monumental success of being crowned Ireland’s Junior Handler of the Year 2025.
The win qualified her for Crufts 2026 in the International Handling Finals in Birmingham, which she has now just returned home from, replete with her new ribbons.
On top of that, Dearbhla was among the top eight in the world at the International Junior Handling Final!
Prior to the final, competitors are given the chance to put forward three chosen breeds to handle. A breed is then chosen for them and they are assigned a dog to enter the ring with, that they have never met or handled before.
Dearbhla put Weimaraner as her number one choice. Of course she did! Her side-kick and prize-winning companion, Didi is a Weimaraner. It’s the family’s breed of choice and one with which they have a bundle of experience.
As luck would have it, a Weimaraner called Luna was available for handling in the final. Not only was she the select breed, but a dream to work with.
Luna and Dearbhla bonded instantly and her natural way clearly came across to the judging panel at a time when it mattered most.
While mum, Val says Dearbhla does tend to get quietly nervous for competition, to those observing her, she seems effortless and completely at home in the ring.
The young handler makes it all look too easy! So easy, in fact, that she was even asked to stand in for others on two separate occasions on Sunday in Breeds judging. It will come as no surprise that on both times she secured placings.
Said Val: “Luna’s owner had sickness with one of her other dogs and asked Dearbhla to take Luna into a Good Citizen’s class and she got her first place!
“The girl who placed first in the International Handling Final, Megan Slack came to Dearbhla on Sunday and said she was in a predicament. She was meant to be handling two dogs and they clashed. She took on an Irish Water Spaniel – which was apt, an Irish girl handling the Irish Water Spaniel – but she got third in the class for that lady too!”
During the week-long competition, Dearbhla also picked up a very impressive first place award in the AV Gundog Stakes out of a “huge quality class” of 27 competitors.
This result led her on to the live Supreme Grand Final of the Stakes… and here she secured a highly respectable reserve place.
As if that wasn’t enough, she also picked up two 3rd class placings in the Breed class!
Exhausted and overwhelmed with a mountain of school work to catch up on, Dearbhla knuckled down on the week days when they returned home.
But once again, when the weekend rolled around, she hit the Irish show scene with her little star in the making, Willow.
Dearbhla made the 16-month-old pup up to an Irish show champion at the International Celtic Winners’ IKC show.
The family have now made up three homebred dogs to Irish Champion titles.
Looking to the future, Dearbhla now also has a requirement to attend the World Dog show in Bologna, Italy in June 2026 and has the option to attend the European Dog show in Sweden later this year.
It’s onwards and upwards for the superstar!
