Ploughing 2023: ‘It’s like a hurler making it to an All-Ireland final - a dream'

Mooncoin man James Aylward is taking his debut at the National Ploughing Championships 2023 seriously.

Representing Kilkenny in the novice category, he is working with his mentor Eddie Doyle since February.

“My journey into ploughing began when I was younger, ploughing for barley on our farm at home. Eddie came to me in February and encouraged me to try ploughing competitively,” he said.

“Ploughing is strong in Mooncoin and Eddie's suggestion motivated me to take it up as a solo sport. Success in ploughing depends on the effort you put in; it's all about self-discipline and hard work.”

Different view

He ploughs with a Kverneland two-sod conventional plough.

“Eddie gives me loads of help; he gets a different view from the ground.

“When ploughing, you look for straightness of your lines, that’s a key factor. You also look for an even sod, you want all sods to be the same height.

"A lot depends on the soil too, a stoney field will throw you off, there’s so many factors at play. Sometimes you have to change the plough to suit the lay of the fields by moving the boards and things like that.”

The stop-start harvest delayed some of his practice in stubble fields, but, as Aylward says: “You don’t want to over-practise either, as you tend to get wound up about it, you have to play it cool.”

Social side

The social side of ploughing matches has always been a draw.

“You meet everyone, all the farmers. There’s a younger crowd involved in it now too. You’d have the craic after it too,” he says.

“My first competition was in Wexford in March, it was a day of trial and error. I shared the tractor and plough with Siobhan Dearmany, who’s a former queen of the plough.

"A ploughing match in Gowran, Co Kilkenny, qualified me for the National Ploughing Championships, where I'll be competing in the novice category.”

The build-up to September has been positive.

“Myself and everyone back home are looking forward to the ploughing championships. I’d get the couple of ‘best of lucks’ from people around and it’s exciting. Whenever the tractor and plough are available, I’d dedicate a few Sunday evenings to practice.”

Match day pressure

Aylward enjoys the testing nature of competitive ploughing.

“The ploughing process itself takes around three or four hours. It’s a process, it tests you, but I like the challenge; you have to rely on your own abilities,” he explains.

“Watching the older crowd and Siobhan's victories, and seeing the positive impact it brought to the club, inspired me to take on the challenge. The Mooncoin Ploughing Association has a strong sense of community.

“During our last competition, we thought we messed up, but Eddie and myself pulled it together in the end and we ended up winning the novice competition in Kilkenny,” he recalls.

“It’s like a hurler making it to an All-Ireland final – a dream come true. I'm looking forward to the National Ploughing Championships and I'll give it my best shot.”