Record 167,000 crowd gets down and dirty

A RECORD 167,000 people are estimated to have attended the three-day National Ploughing Championships which ended on a high note at Ballinabrackey, Co Meath, last evening.

The attendance on opening day was estimated to be 42,000. It was 75,000 on the second day. And yesterday, an estimated 50,000 people attended.

Fine weather, a good site, a traffic plan that worked well and the fact that the event was being held for the first time in its entirety in Meath, contributed to the success.

National Ploughing Association managing director Anna May McHugh said there were concerns beforehand that the narrow roads in the area might result in traffic difficulties but that did not happen.

She said Garda Inspector John Moloney, Tullamore, was a good traffic co-ordinator. She did not believe there were any major hold-ups. That was a tribute to the gardaí and Meath County Council.

“I think the event went very well. It was smooth running. The fine weather was a major factor and the conditions for ploughing were ideal, as there was a drop of rain last weekend,” she said.

Ms McHugh said there were over 750 trade stands, which were wider in variety. She had got a very positive response.

She said the NPA will be seeking help from the Government to help stage the world championships in Co Carlow in 2006. Next year’s national event will be held in the same county.

Among the visitors yesterday was the Ambassador of India Saurabh Kumar, who arrived in Ireland on Tuesday and presented his credentials to President Mary McAleese on Wednesday.

He said he had read about “the ploughing” in the media and decided to visit it to see for himself the unique celebration of Irish rural life. Ambassador Kumar, whose previous posting was in Vietnam, said he was very impressed with the scale of the event and the organisation.

Accompanied by his wife, Sulekha, he said there are no ploughing championships India, but he will be reporting back about the event in Ireland.

Tánaiste Mary Harney said the championships are an example of initiative and enterprise that both make commercial sense and serve communities well.

“Farming and agri-business will thrive and prosper, like other important parts of Ireland’s economy, if we embrace change, if we seek and serve new markets, and if we invest in research and development,” she said.