Clouds have silver lining for church groups as sodden soles seek shelter

SAVING souls in driving rain and howling wind took an amount of missionary zeal at the opening day of the national and world ploughing championships at Grangeford, Tullow, Co Carlow, yesterday.

A number of churches and religious bodies had stands at the event and many of the ploughing pilgrims found shelter under their roofs. Sowing Gospel seeds at Stand 324 was the Catholic diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, which includes Carlow and parts of the counties of Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Wexford.

Bishop Jim Moriarty said the ploughing championships offers the diocese a unique opportunity to reach out and offer a gesture of welcome.

Information is available at the stand on the various ministries, services and initiatives of the diocese. There is also a sacred space area where visitors can leave their prayer intentions.

Every day there will be a prayer at noon and 4pm. There will be a demonstration of making the traditional St Brigid’s cross between 1pm and 3pm.

A new Polish chaplain, Father Tadeusz Durrajczyk, will be welcomed today and on Saturday the focus will on vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

The Baptist Churches in Ireland handed out leaflets and invited people to drop into Stand 366 for a cup of tea and a chat.

A message on their leaflets was in tune with the weather. “You can be sure it will rain when we are at the hay. But this year it didn’t.

“You can be sure the weather will be good when the children go back to school in September. But this year it wasn’t.

“In fact, when you come to think abut it, there are very few things we can really be sure of,” they stated, urging the ploughing pilgrims to “make a virtue of doubt,” the message added.

Out on the rain-lashed and muddy trackways, a man shouted to nobody in particular: “It is nearly the end of the world.” But his statement had more to do with battling the atrocious weather than voicing fears about impending doom.

RTÉ even ran out of plastic ponchos which it and other exhibitors handed out to some of the crowd as a slight protection against the elements.

Even the vintage tractors were covered from the rain, which still did not dampen the good natured humour of the crowds.

The National Ploughing Association said that despite the difficult weather conditions, the first day attendance was 42,000.

Anna May McHugh, managing director, said a good atmosphere prevailed and stand holders were generally pleased with the level of business.

“While numbers were lower than last year, account has to be taken of the very discouraging weather forecast and also the fact that The Ploughing is a four-day event this year as it incorporates the world championships,” she said.

Better weather is predicted today, when President Mary McAleese will officially open the world championships. But there was surely the overnight local temptation to produce the Child of Prague, a revered religious statute in rural Ireland, with a prayerful intercession for a break in the clouds.