Given that the National Ploughing Championship is run by a Laois family the connections with the annual event run deep in the county.
Today the launch took place at the Screggan site in Tullamore ahead of the three-day event which gets underway on Tuesday, September 19.
Anna May McHugh, the Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association, addressed a large gathering of media and special guests where a sneak peak of the site was offered to all.
“It is great to see the phenomenal interest in the Ploughing Championships – with countries such as the USA, UK, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, New Zealand, France and the Netherlands exhibiting,” said Anna May.
“Also the number of overseas buyers coming to the ploughing has doubled, with buyers and visitors from Italy, Hungary, Australia, Prague, South Africa, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Latvia, India, Poland, China and Russia.
Meanwhile, the NPA’s Managing Director also commended An Garda Siochana on the traffic plan and she asked the public to travel with care and follow the plan provided.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, was also in attendance at this morning’s launch.
“It is with great delight that I am here today to launch this year’s National Ploughing Championships. This is the pinnacle event in the farming calendar and a wonderful celebration of agriculture and rural life,” he said.
Exhibits And Initiatives
People visiting the Ploughing – one of Europe’s largest outdoor events – will also get to see: the latest models in agricultural machinery; quality livestock; a Forestry Village; Food Fayre; a Local Enterprise Village with exhibitors from all over Ireland; as well as an International Business Centre.
The National Brown Baking Final, Foroige Young Cooks Final, Crafts, Pig Agility, topical seminars and lots of other special events are also scheduled to take place over the course of the 3-day event.
In the ploughing stakes, over 350 competitors are preparing to showcase the art of ploughing on Offaly soil, with many competitors returning to challenge or defend a title.
Among the Laois people in attendance were Noel Dunne, machinery correspondent and advertising manager for the Irish Farmers Monthly, and the presenter of the live TV show which will go out on RTE each evening of the Ploughing.
James Maloney, formerly the machinery editor of the Irish Farmers Journal and now with Enterprise Ireland, was also among the crowd as was John Moran, a Fine Gael County Councillor in Laois but also one of the top men on the NPA executive.
Kevin Doyle, the manager of Laois Shopping Centre, Niamh Kelly, Carraig Donn, and Mary and Jenny Miller from Fifty Seven Boutique and Gift Emporium. Representatives from Laois Hunt were also among the crowd.
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