Crowds flock to Ploughing Championships

Up to 50,000 people are believed to have visited the opening day of the national ploughing championships in Carlow today.

Major traffic restrictions were thrown into place for the three-day event in Tullow, which boasted 600 trade stands and 70 ploughing contests, as well as livestock and machinery exhibitions.

The €15m championships were opened by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at noon who then mingled with farmers for over two hours despite his busy schedule.

All the main political parties had pitched information tents in the massive exhibition area and visitors included party leaders Enda Kenny of Fine Gael and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams.

But the organisers said they had no concerns that the 74-year-old rural gathering was being hijacked by politicians.

National Ploughing Association spokesperson Anna Marie McHugh said: “It’s a great opportunity for farmers and their families to meet with politicians and give them feedback on policies that affect them on the farm.

“It would be easier for the politicians to stay away but they made the effort to turn up.”

Retiring Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh received a warm reception at the event and several farm groups made presentations to him.

Ms McHugh said: “It was very fitting that Minister Walsh spend his last full day in his job at the ploughing championships before the Cabinet reshuffle tomorrow.

“He is very popular among farmers and he had a lot of well-wishers coming up to him.”

Earlier, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams stressed at his stand that his party was committed to revitalising Irish agriculture and rural communities on an all-island basis.

Mr Adams and MEP Mary Lou McDonald met with several farming groups including the ICSA and IFA to listen to their concerns.

He added: “We have to secure a future for Irish farming. This will entail vigorous measures at a national and EU level embracing all aspects from animal health and the marketing of food.”

The premier Irish agricultural event featured five kilometres of steel track to provide routes through the 500-acre site provided by two local farming families, the Nolans and Byrnes.

Electricians also unwound 20 kilometres of electric cable to provide power, while wells have been sunk to provide a 75,000 gallon water supply to the 700 trade stands.

Popular stands included the Legion of Mary and the Rosary of Fatima.

The championships, said by the organisers to be the world’s biggest, began in 1931 after a disagreement between Kildare man JJ Bergin and his friend Denis Allen, from Wexford, over which county had the best ploughmen.

There are still classes for the traditional horse and plough but most attention now focuses on the modern tractors and ploughs. Most serious competitors have customised ‘sport ploughs’ which are too complex to use for farm ploughing.

The 21 ploughing categories includes one specifically for women, the Farmerette, which has attracted 19 entrants this year. Women are free to enter all other ploughing competitions as long as they do not get assistance in changing the plough settings.

The same site in Carlow will host the 2006 World Ploughing Championships in 2006.