Different things tend to be in vogue at the Ploughing each year; cowboy hats, cattle sticks and designer wellies all came up trumps in the recent past.
At Ploughing 2018, however, there is only one must-have accessory, and that’s the hurl. It's no wonder, after a stellar summer of clashing ash.
Boys and girls, women and men of all ages sport the hurl on day one of the Ploughing in Screggan. There is no other statement to match it, and like all good fashion trends, different brands are in different demands.
Duggan, Moran, Bourke, Cuddy and plenty more are carted around in hands. But, one is infinitely more popular than the rest. For those keeping up with Ploughing fashion, a Canning is the thing to have.
Crowds enjoy a brief bit of sunshine on the first day at the Ploughing. \ Ramona Farrelly
Some lucky shoppers even manage to get the man himself’s signature on the ash.
Two are carried in a firm fist, maroon and white grips adorning them. Kilkenny, Limerick and Cork’s county colours also dress the Canning - when it comes to the making of hurls, Joe transcends all rivalries.
Early birds
Two young ladies who came up on the train from Athenry have their hurls secured by early morning. In the know, they are ahead of the crowd and inform us that the stand is a fair walk away.
By noon, the sport retailers’ section is heaving and the queue for Canning Hurleys stretches far down the row of stands.
Curious spectators decide to forgo waiting, peering in to try to get a glimpse of the man contesting back-to-back Hurler of the Year titles.
“Where’s Joe ma'am,” a young girl asks.
“He’s looking straight out at you,” her mother replies.
Sure enough, Joe is inside autographing the back of a Tipperary jersey, worn by a little boy perched on the counter in front of him. A man in demand in fields of all kinds.
Dancing queens
On the other side of the site, dancers throw shapes at the bandstand as The Duets play during a sunny spell. Betty Boyce and Bernie McGrath from Co Offaly give a masterclass in jiving, wearing none other than their wellies.
Dancers at the Ploughing.
Irish Country Living wants to know do they hinder their steps at all? “Not a bit, a piece of cake. You’d dance on a table with them,” laughs Bernie.
Betty, the other half the dancing duo, has to excuse herself several times to take up the offer of a spin around the floor. The two ladies concur that they “eat, drink, breath and sleep dancing”.
“We’ve been dancing since were about that high,” Bernie exclaims gesturing down towards her knee. “It just came naturally. We come here for the dancing, we’d never look at a cow or anything else.”
Machinery man
In a more mellow mood is Philip Bogue, a retired dairy farmer from Co Kilkenny. Leaning against a railing he is examining a map of the Ploughing, planning his next move. Having arrived shortly after 10am, Philip says he comes to look at the machinery mostly and has been going to the Ploughing “for more years than I can even remember”.
From hurls to jiving, machinery and more, people gather on the Ploughing field for all sorts of reasons.
Read more
Watch: Neven Maguire back by popular demand at the Ploughing
Showbags, feed tips & tasty treats: Irish Farmers Journal at Ploughing 2018
Different things tend to be in vogue at the Ploughing each year; cowboy hats, cattle sticks and designer wellies all came up trumps in the recent past.
At Ploughing 2018, however, there is only one must-have accessory, and that’s the hurl. It's no wonder, after a stellar summer of clashing ash.
Boys and girls, women and men of all ages sport the hurl on day one of the Ploughing in Screggan. There is no other statement to match it, and like all good fashion trends, different brands are in different demands.
Duggan, Moran, Bourke, Cuddy and plenty more are carted around in hands. But, one is infinitely more popular than the rest. For those keeping up with Ploughing fashion, a Canning is the thing to have.
Crowds enjoy a brief bit of sunshine on the first day at the Ploughing. \ Ramona Farrelly
Some lucky shoppers even manage to get the man himself’s signature on the ash.
Two are carried in a firm fist, maroon and white grips adorning them. Kilkenny, Limerick and Cork’s county colours also dress the Canning - when it comes to the making of hurls, Joe transcends all rivalries.
Early birds
Two young ladies who came up on the train from Athenry have their hurls secured by early morning. In the know, they are ahead of the crowd and inform us that the stand is a fair walk away.
By noon, the sport retailers’ section is heaving and the queue for Canning Hurleys stretches far down the row of stands.
Curious spectators decide to forgo waiting, peering in to try to get a glimpse of the man contesting back-to-back Hurler of the Year titles.
“Where’s Joe ma'am,” a young girl asks.
“He’s looking straight out at you,” her mother replies.
Sure enough, Joe is inside autographing the back of a Tipperary jersey, worn by a little boy perched on the counter in front of him. A man in demand in fields of all kinds.
Dancing queens
On the other side of the site, dancers throw shapes at the bandstand as The Duets play during a sunny spell. Betty Boyce and Bernie McGrath from Co Offaly give a masterclass in jiving, wearing none other than their wellies.
Dancers at the Ploughing.
Irish Country Living wants to know do they hinder their steps at all? “Not a bit, a piece of cake. You’d dance on a table with them,” laughs Bernie.
Betty, the other half the dancing duo, has to excuse herself several times to take up the offer of a spin around the floor. The two ladies concur that they “eat, drink, breath and sleep dancing”.
“We’ve been dancing since were about that high,” Bernie exclaims gesturing down towards her knee. “It just came naturally. We come here for the dancing, we’d never look at a cow or anything else.”
Machinery man
In a more mellow mood is Philip Bogue, a retired dairy farmer from Co Kilkenny. Leaning against a railing he is examining a map of the Ploughing, planning his next move. Having arrived shortly after 10am, Philip says he comes to look at the machinery mostly and has been going to the Ploughing “for more years than I can even remember”.
From hurls to jiving, machinery and more, people gather on the Ploughing field for all sorts of reasons.
Read more
Watch: Neven Maguire back by popular demand at the Ploughing
Showbags, feed tips & tasty treats: Irish Farmers Journal at Ploughing 2018
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