Organisers of the National Ploughing Association are planning for this year’s event to go ahead in full in Ratheniska in September.
NPA assistant managing director Anna Marie McHugh says that all involved are confident that for the first time since 2019, the bumper farming event can take place.
Covid-19 has curtailed the championships in the last two years – forcing it ‘behind closed doors’ in 2021.
But following a positive meeting with Taoiseach Micheal Martin, steps are being taken by those involved.
Anna Marie said: “We’re planning for it and that is as much as we can do at the moment.
“You can only hope that because this variant appears to have been milder, any further ones would be the same and that there won’t be any serious restrictions going forward.
“We met with the Taoiseach online a few weeks ago and that was good so from here we just have to see how things go.
“We’ll be opening our Trade Exhibition Portal in March and we will work with exhibitors to help make sure they can comply with whatever regulations are in place in September.”
According to the NPA, 2019 saw the biggest event to date with an attendance of almost 300,000.
From September 20 to 22, the ploughing is due to be staged in Ratheniska and McHugh believes that by then, any Covid-19 teething problems associated with reopening should be ironed out.
She said: “People are in better form and members are back having ploughing matches again and giving meals after them again.
“That camaraderie is so important. A simple thing of being able to have a meal in the local hall.
“So these are all positive developments and hopefully by September, any teething problems will be well ironed out.”
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