Congratulations to trailblazer Anna May McHugh who has been awarded as one of Ireland’s most powerful and influential women pictured with Maura McLaughlin partner in Arthur Cox
Author: National Ploughing Association
Brown Bread Baking Competition
Huge Interest As Hundreds Enter The National Brown Bread Baking Competition. Prize Fund Worth Over €7,000
The National Brown Bread making competition has sparked great interest throughout the country as 421 bakers from every county in Ireland have entered, breads of a seriously high quality, to be named as “The Best Brown Bread Baker” in Ireland at this year’s Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois. The twenty seven individual county winners will now qualify for the Regional Final in An Grianán in Termonfeckin, Co. Louth on 14th August where the top 2 from each province will be selected to go to the Ploughing Championships for the semi-finals and final in the Aldi Marquee. The NPA are delighted that the National Brown Bread Baking Competition is making a comeback to the Ploughing for the first time since 1991. In association with the ICA and the generous sponsorship of Aldi this exciting project is taking shape. The prize pot is huge with €2,000 in Aldi Vouchers going to the overall “breadwinner”. The runner-up will receive €1,000, third €500, 4th €300 and the other 4 semi-finalists €200 all in Aldi Vouchers. All 27 County Winners will receive a €100 voucher which brings the prize fund to a figure of over €7,000.
FORMAT OF THE COMPETITION:
Two winners from each province will qualify to compete in the semi-finals at the National Ploughing Championships in September 2014 where the competition will take place in front of a live audience. There will be 2 semi-final heats over Tuesday 23rd/Wednesday24th September. The contestants placed first and second in each heat will qualify for the final on Thursday 25th September in the Aldi Tent at the National Ploughing Championships.
RULES OF THE COMPETITION:
- Each competitor will produce a home baked cake using not less than 10 oz of wholemeal and not more than 6 oz of white flour. Competitors can use any ingredients they please provided they keep the above proportion of wholemeal to white flour. A 2 lb loaf tin or round tin can be used.
- Professionals and staff members are excluded from competing.
- COMPETITORS NOTE: For the National Semi-Finals and Final, competitors will be obliged to use the ingredients supplied by Aldi. Competitors may bring their own baking tin.
- THE JUDGES DECISION IN ALL COMPETITIONS SHALL BE FINAL AND BINDING ON ALL COMPETITORS AND THE FACT OF ENTERING SHALL BE DEEMED AN ACCEPTANCE OF THIS RULE.
Click here to see County Final Dates and Venues
Day 3 NPC 2013
Ratheniska is set to host the National Ploughing Championships again in 2014 as the event returns to Co. Laois for a second year. With record attendance figures this year, organisers made the announcement at the close of business today. Speaking after the announcement, Managing Director, Ms Anna May McHugh said “We are delighted to be staging the event here again next year. Feedback form landowners, the local community and the wider public has been very positive and all were enthusiastic to see a return. Speaking also with many of the exhibitors and visitors over the past few days, all were very vocal about their wishes to have it staged here again. I think the site has proved very popular for several reasons including its central location and surrounding road & rail network. By and large most people have been travelling to and from the site with relative ease and the minimum of traffic delays. This has certainly helped the event in being such a success this year and we hope to repeat this again in 2014”.
Early light showers starting off, the weather soon picked up with sunny spells breaking through just in time for the arrival of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD. Making his first port of call to the plots, the Taoiseach met with several of Irelands top Ploughmen before attending several agricultural stands such as Beet Ireland, Macra na Feirne, ICMSA, IFA and Lely Ireland. Stepping out on the trackway between stands, the Taoiseach was joined by 57, 000 visitors throughout the day, bringing the total attendance figure for the 2013 National Ploughing Championships to approximately 228,000. This is a new record in the history of the event breaking all attendance figures previously set.
The highlight of today, and the week for most ploughing enthusiasts came with the announcement of Irelands two representatives for the World Ploughing Championships in 2014. Congratulations must go to John Whelan of Wexford competing in the Reversible Class and Eamon Tracey of Carlow competing in the Conventional Class. Both will take to the fields of France next September 5th and 6th in Bordeaux, once more representing their country with pride.
Day 2 NPC 2013
Day 2 of the National Ploughing Championships witnessed record crowds descend once more on the site in Ratheniska, Co. Laois. Todays attendance figures exceeded all expectations topping 90,000 and setting a new record in the history of the event. This brings the total figure for attendance this week up over170, 000 with a final day of ploughing tomorrow. Reports form all commercial quarters have been extremely positive with trade being described by many exhibitors as “the busiest in five years”. Speaking at the announcement of the attendance figures, Ms Anna May McHugh stated “We anticipated large crowds again today but these figures go beyond all expectation and I am delight that the traffic management plan An Garda Síochána put in place is dealing so well with the numbers traveling. I would urge all visitors attending tomorrow to download and follow the Garda traffic plan on www.npa.ie. Walking the site today, the atmosphere was tremendous and we are all looking forward to another day of ploughing and trade tomorrow”.
The much anticipated “tweetup” which was a first for the Championships took place with over 200 avid tweeters “meeting-up” to stage this #Ploughing event on Twitter. Also proving a great success again this year was the ever popular “Most Appropriately Dressed Lady” and “Most Appropriately Dressed Gent” competitions. Taking the top prize for the ladies was Sharon Foley from Borris Co. Carlow, who won a €500 voucher form the Wineport Lodge. With many stylish men out in force also, Mark Flood from Kildare secured the title of “Most Appropriately Dressed Gent”, taking the prize of a tailored suit by Louis Copeland & Sons.
Today also witnessed the usual “pressing of the flesh” that goes hand in hand with the event. Most political parties, having taken large exhibit stands, ensured the tea and coffee continued to flow as their political representatives mingled with potential voters. Out and about today was Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Simon Coveney TD, who walked the site with great ease, visiting the stands and ploughing plots; meeting competitors, exhibitors and visitors alike. Also in attendance were Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton TD, Deputy Micheál MartinTD, Martin Ferris TD, Mairead McGuinness MEP, Marian Harkin MEP and a host of local representatives. Taking to the trackway today also were IFA presidential hopefuls Eddie Downey of Meath and Laois’s Jer Bergin, both vying to win over the voters.
With another action packed day of ploughing, hunt-chase, sheep dog trials, tractor building, fashion, sheep shearing, pony games and much more planned for tomorrow, large crowds are expected in county Laois once more.