Farming special - Day 4: Kingdom declares ambitions to host Ploughing event again
Supporters of the idea believe Kerry, with vast experience of hosting high-profile events such as the Irish Open Golf Championship, would be an ideal location for the rural feast, now hailed as the biggest in Europe.
Killarney was the venue for the event in 1939 and 1961 as well as the world championships in 1954, while Ardfert hosted the nationals in 1984.
As 30 years have elapsed since Kerry last hosted the national showpiece, there is speculation the time is right to begin the process of promoting the county as a future venue.
The revived South Kerry Ploughing Championships took place recently in Fossa and were regarded a great success.
Tom Leslie, the organising chairman, was reported as saying the county, and Killarney in particular, has a lot to offer in bidding for the event.
Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris, the party’s spokesperson on agriculture and rural development, said he would fully support any efforts to stage the event in his home county.
It would bring a lot of revenue to Kerry and would have a positive knock-on effect from a tourism perspective in the way the county would present itself in hosting the event, he said.
Asked about Kerry’s prospects of being chosen as the venue for the prestigious event in the future, National Ploughing Association assistant managing director Anna Marie McHugh said all option will be considered.
Massive crowds attended this year’s record-breaking championships yesterday, with some people on the roads from 5am.
By Ray Ryan
Have purring cats more than nine lives? The teasing question was being earnestly discussed by groups of people at the National Ploughing Championships which ended in Ratheniska, Co Laois, last evening.
It had nothing to do with feline lifespans but still provoked plenty of analysis laced with good humour among hurling followers ahead of tomorrow’s Kilkenny-Tipperary All Ireland hurling final replay.
Kilkenny — and Henry Sheflin — are going for a 10th All Ireland senior success under manager Brian Cody while Tipperary, coming from what their supporters always claim is the home of hurling, will provide stern opposition.
Former Tipp hurler Joe Hayes said a lot would depend on what the respective managers learned from the drawn game. He predicted a win for Tipp.
Kilkenny legend Eddie Brennan, the holder of eight All Ireland medals, was on the National Dairy Council stand. He’s sure of the Cats.
“It will be tight and it could well come down to free-taking. I would be confident Kilkenny could do it,” he said, as youngsters lined up to have their photographs taken with the man who has four All Star awards.
National Dairy Council chairman Jackie Cahill, a shrewd hurling judge from Thurles, said he was more confident of a Tipperary win than he had been before the drawn game.
Denis ‘Rackard’ Coady, the Kilkenny team equipment manager from Graignamanagh, has been involved in that capacity with 11 All Ireland winning county senior teams.
“I think we will do it. We can improve from the drawn game,” he said, after a visit to the ploughing championships.
‘The Ploughing’ has, meanwhile, ensured followers of the black and amber and the blue and gold will be among the fittest spectators ever to attend an All-Ireland Final.
That’s because of all the walking they did on site this week.
Wearing their county shirts, they engaged in lively light-hearted banter, bought hurls for their youngsters and gave their predictions for the match. Most were based on their county prejudices.
A more detached but well informed view was offered by Anna May McHugh, the managing director of the National Ploughing Association, who played camogie for Laois and Leinster and has five provincial medals.
“It will be difficult to beat Kilkenny, but I am going for Tipperary, who have great speed,” she said.
