World Ploughing Contest opens this week

The event will see the 66th British National Ploughing Championships on the first two days and the 63rd World Ploughing Contest and first ever World Vintage Ploughing Championships on the second two days.

Local farm Hobson Farming Ltd has given over 500 acres of its prime farmland to be used for the event.

Last year, the world ploughing event was held in Denmark and two Irishmen brought home a gold and silver medal. Carlow man Eamonn Tracey won first place for Ireland with an outstanding performance in the conventional class.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Co Wexford man John Whelan secured second in the reversible class.

Champions from 31 countries

This year, the World Ploughing Contest will see national champions from 31 countries compete against each other over Saturday 10 September and Sunday 11 September to win the gold medals. After coming first in the national senior conventional class in Ratheniska, Co Laois, last year Eamonn Tracey will again represent Ireland in this category this year.

Michael John Dillane will represent Ireland in the junior conventional class and John Whelan will represent Ireland in the Kverneland reversible class.

The world competitors will plough on stubble land on the first day and grassland on the second day, with grass being sown by Hobson Farming especially for this event.

Teams, which include ploughmen, their coach and their country’s judge, are coming from Kenya, Russia, Macedonia, Switzerland and many more European countries.

Next year, the World Ploughing Championships will be held in Kenya.

The Irish competitors won’t have much of a break between the world championships and the country’s national championships, which takes place this year in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly, on 20-22 September.

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