Ploughing on! Championships to hold 'exciting few days digitally' this week

Leo Varadkar meeting John Murphy from Cork at the 2019 National Ploughing Championships in Carlow. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Close to 300,000 people would have been expected at the National Ploughing Championships if they had started today as planned.

The highlight of the Irish farming community's social calendar is cancelled this year due to Covid-19.

It is the first time the event has been cancelled since the foot and mouth crisis in 2001.

Organisers had hoped to stage some qualifying events for international ploughing competition this week, but they have now been put back to October.

Anna-Marie McHugh, from the National Ploughing Association, has said they will be doing as much as they can on social media this week with videos and contests.

She said: “We want people just to kind of get active this week on social media and remember the Ploughing.

“It’s always the week of the year that there’s a concentration on rural Ireland and agriculture and we want to hold our spot, I suppose, as far as that goes.” 

They will be running “an exciting, fun and informative digital engagement” this week for the three days that the Ploughing would have been on - September 15 to 16.

MISSING THIS YEAR’S PLOUGHING: NO PROBLEM GET INVOLVED ONLINE FOR #PLOUGHING2020 SEPT 15TH, 16TH & 17TH see https://t.co/YOIwIHdjy1 for details @kclr96fm @kfmradio @Midlands103 @SouthEastRadio
@radiomidwest @radiokerry @OceanFmIreland
@NorthernSoundFM @RTECountryWide @RTE pic.twitter.com/3CQvS4fS5u

— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 11, 2020

On the event’s Facebook page, organisers wrote: “There will an array of special offers available, interactive competitions, the latest in agriculture machinery, for those of you with a flair for fashion there will be daily fashion shows with all of the upcoming trends, #Ploughing2020 will also include some actual ploughing from Ireland’s finest ploughers and much more.

“The highly anticipated Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards winners will be revealed following a summer of stiff competition as ground-breaking agri-related products and cutting edge innovations from Irish companies have battled it out for a cash fund of €10,000, this year’s competition was moved fully online due to the cancellation of the event as a result of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

“On Wednesday ‘The Most Appropriately Dressed Competitions’ will take place as usual, albeit digitally this year, with amazing prizes on offer for the winners.

“The ‘Most Appropriately Dressed Lady’ will win a luxurious weekend away for two in the exclusive Wineport Lodge Hotel. The ‘Most Appropriately Dressed Gent’ will win a €250 voucher for Detail Menswear, which can be redeemed online or in-store. 

"To be in with a chance to win just simply take a picture of what you would have worn to ‘Ploughing’ on the day and include a sign with #Ploughing2020’, remember it would have been outdoors, in Ireland, in the Autumn so dress for the weather!” 

The National Brown Bread Competition will also take place with a prize of €15,000 up for grabs.

Ms McHugh said: "We expect to have a very exciting few days digitally, including many memories from over the years to get involved simply use #Ploughing2020 and follow our social media channels."