Ploughing to give Kilkenny another field day

KILKENNY are odds on for another All-Ireland success in two weeks — with the national ploughing championships due to be held at Farmley, Cuffesgrange, over three days.

Details of the September 23 to 25 event, which is expected to attract 150,000 visitors, were announced at the site 8km outside Kilkenny city yesterday, as the county celebrated its All-Ireland hurling triumph on Sunday.

The 600-acre site is currently under construction with the pegging of spaces for 900-plus trade stands, the laying of 15km of trackway, the erection of marquees and the laying of an infrastructure for water, electricity and telephones.

Tánaiste Mary Coughlan will officially open this year’s event, which will see 300 ploughing competitors chasing 19 All-Ireland titles.

Among them will be Wexford ploughmen Willie John Kehoe, who won a silver medal in the grassland competition at the World Contest in Austria recently, and John Whelan, who came fourth.

National Ploughing Association managing director Anna May McHugh said it was a delight to be back in Kilkenny on the magnificent farms of the Woodcock and Barry families.

Preparations for the event, which is costing €3.2 million to stage and will be worth more than €20m to the region’s economy, are all on schedule.

The National Ploughing Association has a contingency plan ready to ensure the event goes ahead as arranged, even with further wet weather predicted. It includes a park and ride system.

Gardaí will have a traffic plan in place to cope with the anticipated movement of 40,000 vehicles on each of the three days.

Some 500 stewards and 110 judges will be officiating at the event, where there will be 22 catering units as well as four bars, seven confectionery shops and 12 ice cream sellers.