County Laois: Irish ploughing championships return after Covid break

The Irish National Ploughing Championship opened in County Laois on Tuesday

Neatness, tidiness and straightness will be among judges' criteria at the Irish National Ploughing Championships, which opened at Ratheniska, in County Laois, on Tuesday.

Competitors from 28 countries are taking part in the three-day event, which was officially opened by Irish President Michael D Higgins.

Up to 300,000 people are expected to attend.

It is the first of its kind in the Republic of Ireland since the pandemic.

The 900-acre site at Ratheniska is playing host to 1,700 trade stalls, together with machinery displays, livestock and ploughing competitions.

This year's World Ploughing Championships are taking place simultaneously at the site.

There are 1,700 trade stalls at this year's ploughing championships

"The event is huge," William King, president of the Northern Ireland Ploughing Association, told BBC Radio Ulster.

"It's a wonderful event, coming after a two-year-lapse, and the amount of competitors that have come from all over the world certainly brings back the agricultural industry, not only in Ireland but in Northern Ireland."

About 2,400 volunteers are helping to ensure things runs smoothly, with 22 GAA clubs and 27 ploughing societies working behind the scenes, Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association, told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ.

Former world ploughing champion David Wright, from Magherafelt, is among the names from Northern Ireland in contention, as is Andrew Gill, from County Down, who came fourth in the world championships in the United States in 2019.

Both contenders have been in County Laois practicing for the competitions since last week, according to Mr King, who said competitive ploughing was judged on 10 technical criteria.

"We have high hopes for both these competitors because they are dedicated ploughmen. They put a lot into it," he said.