Tanks to take their place at Ploughing Championships

Army tanks will be parked alongside tractors and livestock at the Ploughing Championships later this month.

The Defence Forces will have a stand for the first time at the annual agricultural show – now one of the biggest events of its kind in Europe.

A record 900 exhibitors will cover a 70-acre trade arena at the three-day Championships in Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny from September 22 to 24.

The event will also have the largest display of farm machinery every seen in the country.

The Army will be showing off its Swiss-made Mowag Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), which have been used in Lebanon and Liberia and are armed with machine guns and smoke grenades.

There will also be an equipment display by the Air Corps and the Naval Service.

The Defence Forces were invited by the organisers, the National Ploughing Association, to exhibit at the Championships.

“Uniformed personnel will be there to meet the public and we will be delighted to answer any questions they may have,” said a Defence Forces spokesman.

“There will also be information on recruitment and our overseas operations in places like Chad and the Balkans.”

The Defence Forces will complement information stands from the Garda Siochana, the Fire Brigade and the Civil Defence.

Other exhibitors include political parties such as Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Greens and Sinn Féin.

Aid organisations present will include Concern, Trócaire, Gorta and the Niall Mellon Township Trust.

The Houses of the Oireachtas will also be exhibiting as well as the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the Revenue Commissioners.

Other features of the Championships include livestock exhibitions, fashion shows, food halls, a bio-energy village and an international property exhibition.