Ploughing: A celebration of Irish agri-food and community life
Site owner Lisa O’Flaherty Grogan and her niece Katie O’Flaherty with exhibition supervisor Sean Byrne, site manager Tom Kelly, NPA managing director Anna May McHugh, site supervisor Triona Connolly, and NPA director PJ Lynam, on site at Screggan, Tullamore ahead of the National Ploughing Championships, September 15-17. Photos: Alf Harvey
reflects on the proud history of ploughing in Ireland, and traditions that are older than the pyramids
It all began in the Céide Fields of north Mayo 6,000 years ago, when Ireland’s first farmers used wooden ploughs to till the soil for the growing of crops.
The primitive ploughs drawn by cattle were fitted with stone blades to break the ground for cultivation.
That was a millennium before the Egyptian pyramids were built, yet the seasonal practice of turning topsoil to bring fresh nutrients to the surface for “sowing and reaping” continues to this day.
But that’s not the only legacy the Stone Age farmers left behind on Mayo’s wind-lashed coastal cliffs high above the Atlantic Ocean – the Céide Fields are now recognised as the oldest known stone-walled field system in the world.
Ploughing, developed and mechanised over the centuries, is still a core skill in the modern Irish food, drink and horticulture industry, which exports to 190 markets worldwide.
Last year, the value of those exports reached €19 billion during a volatile trading period shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, extreme weather events and shifting consumer behaviour.
Agri-food, the country’s largest indigenous economic sector, employs over 169,300 people across more than 133,000 farms, 2,000 fishing vessels and aquaculture sites, and 2,000 food production and beverage enterprises.
It is responsible for 4.6 million hectares of agricultural land and over 88,000 hectares of forestry. And it will all be celebrated in style at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, next week.
While the event has expanded over the years to embrace all aspects of Irish life, ploughing is still at the heart of what is hailed as Europe’s largest outdoor rural pageant.
It will cost over €7 million to stage on a 730-acre site comprised of 180 acres of ploughing ground,150 acres of trade stands, and 400 acres of parking space.
Lisa O’Flaherty Grogan is the main site owner, with neighbouring farmers also making ground available for the event, which enjoys strong support in the community and from local authority and State bodies.
A greenfield pop-up town, which more than 275,00 people are expected to visit over three days will be fully serviced.
It will have 31km of trackway, 51km of electric cable, 20.5km of water pipe, 20km of broadband cabling, and 15 generators, enough to power a town the size of Clonakilty.
Over 2,000 temporary staff, volunteers and stewards will be required to host the championships, estimated to be worth over €50 million to the economy.
Local support has always been vital for the planning and running of this massive event since it was first held in Athy, Co. Kildare, in 1931.
Farmers and other landowners make land available for the ploughing competitions, trade stands and other activities.
Volunteer stewards including NPA members from around the country support the Gardai with traffic flow and parking.
They also help visitors find their way around the site and work closely with the organisers in providing services that create a welcoming, friendly atmosphere.
Anna Marie McHugh, NPA assistant manager director, and World Ploughing Organisation general secretary, said a lot of work goes into organising and planning the event.
But it would not be possible without the support of neighbouring farmers and others, she said, adding that it takes a community to run a ploughing match.
Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Peter Burke described the Ploughing, as it is popularly known, as “the spine of the Irish agri-economy.”
He said it offers an opportunity for people from across society to meet and engage with political representatives.
“It gives the cross-section of society a chance to interact, meet so many political figures and try and frame what way the nation is and what the heartbeat is at that particular time,” he said.
Offaly County Council Cathaoirleach Declan Harvey said next week’s event is also an important showcase for the county’s farming community and its hospitality sector.
It will bring a significant amount of money into the area, he said, describing the huge site in the centre of Ireland as an ideal venue with a network of roads leading to it.
The annual pageant of food, farming and culture will have displays of Irish artisan produce, wellie throwing, fashion shows, cookery demos, music and dancing, craft exhibitions, sustainable farming and loy digging.
Pony games, hunter trials, carriage driving, threshing, livestock classes, competitions, picnic areas, a motor show, tug o’ war, vintage and high-tech machinery displays and much more are on the programme.
Exhibitors across the site will also host talks on various issues from health and safety to climate change and the cost of living.
In a massive logistics operation, Gardai will operate a traffic and parking plan to ensure the anticipated 80,000 vehicles that will travel to and from the site each day can do so in safety and without undue delays.
President Catherine Connolly will officially open the event. Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and European Commissioner Michael McGrath, as well as diplomats, church, farming and rural leaders are all expected to attend.
With Ireland currently hosting the rotating European Union presidency, there are reports that Agriculture Commissioner Chris Hansen might also pay a visit.
The event, the 10th to be held in Offaly, will be on the same site as that used in 2016, 2017, 2018 and again last year.
Stressing that the 95th championships represent a very special milestone for the NPA, managing director Anna May McHugh said the location is an excellent one due to its accessibility.
“It has been a tough year for many farmers, with difficult weather and the pressures of prices and rising costs.
“Hopefully, the Ploughing gives people a chance to take a day away from it all, enjoy themselves with family and friends, catch up with old faces and maybe meet a few new ones along the way.
“It has always been about bringing people together and celebrating the very best of ploughing, Irish agriculture, enterprise and rural life and we are looking forward to what promises to be a fantastic three days,” she said.
NPA chairman John Deery is the first holder of the office from Monaghan, a county outside of the traditional ploughing strongholds.
He is from Iniskeen, birthplace and lifelong inspiration of the poet, Patrick Kavanagh, who ploughed the “stony grey soil” of Monaghan and wrote about his experiences in later life.
The Government of Ireland is again bringing a village of interactive demonstrations to next week’s event.
It will have a variety of departments and agencies showcasing a wide range of initiatives and priorities.
These will be themed around climate action, housing, road safety, culture, creativity, community supports, further education and recruitment.
Visitors will also have the chance to engage directly with government teams to learn about the latest available supports, services, and schemes.
The European Commission exhibition will be particularly significant this because of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU.
It will bring together farmers, rural communities, businesses, researchers and policymakers to celebrate Irish and European agriculture.
There will be a focus on the Common Agricultural Policy, the future of farming, Ireland's contribution to the EU and food production innovation.
Sustainable livestock and crop production, research and innovation, resilient agriculture and rural areas will be examined and discussed.
EU experts will be present to answer questions and exchange ideas on how European policies support farmers, food producers and rural communities.
This year’s championships will be also special for RTÉ, now marking the centenary of public service broadcasting which began five years before the NPA was founded.
It has a tradition of broadcasting live radio and television programmes directly from the event grounds, including news updates, weather reports, and lifestyle features The Ploughing itself was even featured on Teilifís Éireann the day after it began broadcasting on January 1, 1961.
It was a package of reports and interviews filmed at the championships in Killarney the previous November and aired on what was the first episode of the farming programme On the Land.
