Crowds plough on in ‘ponds, pools and puddles’

It was a day for disposable ponchos, colourful brollies, designer wellies, and hoodies galore as rain lashed the National Ploughing Championships at Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, yesterday.

The dramatic change in the weather from the opening day’s sunshine resulted in difficult ground conditions in some of the green-field car parks as the crowds began to make their way home last evening.

Steel trackways within the site itself coped well with the downpours, but the grass areas around some of the trade stands had muddy conditions, described by one wit as “ponds, pools, and puddles”.