Wilkinson Sword Award 2018
Arthur Mawhinney
Arthur Mawhinney is the 2018 recipient of the Wilkinson Sword, an award presented at the International trial to a member of that Country who has made an outstanding contribution to the Society, sheepdogs and trialling over the years. The Wilkinson Sword was first awarded in 1980.
Arthur is a past Irish National President of the ISDS. Arthur lives at Ladyhill, Antrim, where he farms. He was one of the people responsible for getting Ireland a 15 man team at the Internationals, and up until the last few years ran at least two trials every year at his farm. Arthur loves trialling and has attended the Hebridean Circuit on a number of occasions, he has made a lot of friends during his visits, who even to this day are on the phone with him checking out the trialling in Ireland.
Arthur has judged all over the world from Italy to the USA, he is always willing to give words of advice to the new handlers on the scene and help in any way he can to those who run trials. It is evident at Nationals and Internationals by the way people from the trialling community stop and talk to him, just how well he is respected in the trialling world.