Ploughing championships 'like Balmoral on steroids'

David Gilliland is passionate about ploughing

"Like Balmoral on steroids".

That's how David Gilliland from the Ulster Scots Agency describes the National Ploughing Championships - comparing them to the annual Balmoral Show in Northern Ireland.

Almost 100,00 people have attended the final day of the 92nd National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, County Laois.

The three-day event involves more than 300 competitors taking part in ploughing competitions, while thousands of exhibitors are showcasing a range of agricultural products and machinery.

Warm and sunny conditions have been persistent throughout.

The three-day event involves more than 300 competitors taking part in ploughing competitions

The event, which is described as one of the biggest outdoor events in Europe, was officially opened by Irish President Michael D Higgins

He described the event as "one of the most authentic expressions of an Ireland that remains connected to the land and to nature".

Mr Gilliand, director of Development at the Ulster Scots Agency said his organisation was there to promote it to "what wouldn’t be a traditional audience for us."

"The main reason we are here - to showcase and highlight the cultural traditions [of Ulster Scots] and showing people there is stuff like this going on within the country that they may not be aware of," he said.

Mother and daughter Caroline and Síofra Ferry are continuing the family tradition of attending the ploughing

Caroline and Síofra Ferry attend the event every year as it is close to where Caroline grew up.

Now they make the journey down from County Donegal.

Caroline said it was for "everybody, not just for farmers, there's so much other stuff like crafts, homemade stuff, and even things like cleaning products".

"The thing I've remarked this year is that there is so many teenagers, I don't think I've seen as many that young here before," she said.

"It's nearly like a careers place as well because the army is here, the guards [Irish police] are here, the colleges are here, so it's a real careers festival as well."

Reporting from Laois - BBC News NI Dublin reporter Aoife Moore:

Despite it's name, ploughing is a secondary guest at the National Ploughing Championships.

Here, you can enter a brown bread baking competition and be crowned Irish champion, later on you can enter another competition to win a prize heifer if you guess it's weight correctly.

Those who want to improve their skills, can learn sheep shearing, those who want to spend money can buy local produce like salsa from Laois and jerk spices from Leitrim.

You can get mortgage, insurance, banking and mental health advice.

After that, you can go to the funfair, buy Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) gear, get your face painted and buy a John Deere tractor in the space of an hour.

Unlike the washout of last year, Laois is awash with sun shine. Temperatures are set to reach 23 degrees and an array of promotional sun hats are being worn.

The Ploughing Championship is somewhere between a jobs fair and the Balmoral Show.

You can speak to the Gardaí, the Irish Prison Service and the Defence Forces, before checking if the Dairy Council are hiring.

They are nearby the Ulster Scots stage where you can pick up some new language skills.

There's something for everyone, and the amount of young people is stark.

Crowds of teenagers are roaming the fields, clad in GAA tops, carrying hurls and eating ice cream.

If rural Ireland is in trouble, there's no evidence of it here.