Stephen Cadogan: World plough titles quite an achievement for little Ireland

It’s not so surprising that Ireland’s ploughmen are world-beaters, when you consider their role in setting up the National Ploughing Championships, ranked among the biggest outdoor events in the world, with over 1,500 exhibitors, and an attendance of 281,000.

And the best Irish farmers — whether ploughmen, livestock, bloodstock or tillage farmers — are up there with the best in the world.

Now Eamonn Tracey from Bagenalstown, Co Carlow, has become a two-in-a-row world conventional ploughing champion, after winning last week’s world ploughing contest in Vestbo, Denmark.