Category: 2019 News

Following the success of last year’s partnership Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will again sponsor this year’s Best Dressed ‘Country Style’ ladies competition. The exclusive prize worth €7,000 includes a pair of return flights from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, a four-night stay in luxury 5-Star accommodation and two complimentary passes for the activities and attractions on Yas Island.

The fashionable competition will take place on Wednesday the 18th of September in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow. Throughout the day, undercover judges will be circulating throughout the site on the look-out for potential winners, so dress to impress!

If you are handed a finalist tag, please make sure to be at the Fashion Show marquee at 3.30pm for judging.

The specially featured Fashion Shows continue to be a key attraction at the National Ploughing Championships. With each show lasting over an hour, fashion followers will be treated to all the latest styles and designs of the coming season.

Shows take place daily at 11.30 am, 1.30 pm and 3.30 pm with the Holman Lee Model Agency partnering with the NPA once again this year. Fashionista Celia Holman Lee will act as compere, with models taking to the catwalk to model all of the latest lines and designs.

Looking forward to this year’s event, NPA Managing Director, Anna May McHugh said “The NPA are delighted to continue this marvellous partnership with Etihad Airways and it is great opportunity for those who have made such a stylish effort to win this fantastic prize. We have a world of fashion at ‘Ploughing’ this year and as in previous years, it is a must attend event for those with sartorial interests.”

The Local Enterprise Village at this year’s National Ploughing Championships will provide a snapshot of the cream of the crop of Ireland’s small businesses according to Heather Humphreys T.D., Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, who launched the Local Enterprise Office initiative today in Dublin.

The Local Enterprise Village will feature over 30 small businesses, each a client of their Local Enterprise Office across the country. There are 31 Local Enterprise Offices located in Local Authorities nationwide funded by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland. This year the Local Enterprise Village will have a slightly Welsh theme with 6 clients involved who have taken part in Catalyst and Bucanier programmes strengthening partnerships between Ireland and Wales ahead of Brexit.

There will be a variety of products and services on show for the visitors to this year’s Ploughing Championships to enjoy, which includes food, fashion, agtech products, farm safety equipment, board games, sportswear, skincare and even a dog bakery!

There were several Local Enterprise Office clients in Dublin today to help launch this year’s Local Enterprise Village along with Minister Humphreys. These included Oscar Wilde Water from Local Enterprise Office Tipperary, Little Red Design Studio from Local Enterprise Office Dublin City, Harry’s Dog Bakery from Local Enterprise Office Monaghan, BackBaller from Local Enterprise Office Clare and Orwell & Browne Irish Tweed from Local Enterprise Office Donegal.

Minister Humphreys put emphasis on the key role these businesses play in Ireland’s economy; “The Local Enterprise Village is a snapshot of the wide variety of businesses supported by the Government through the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). These firms are the bedrock of local economies right across the country, which is why we are putting an increased focus on the LEOs under the Future Jobs Ireland strategy. This event is a fantastic opportunity for the businesses involved to showcase their products and services, and I look forward to seeing them all in Carlow.”

Kieran Comerford, from the Local Enterprise Offices, outlined what a significant opportunity this is for these businesses; “You are looking at a potential footfall for these businesses of over 250,000 people across the 3 days of the Ploughing Championships. That is simply incredible for them, to be given that size of a captive audience to sell to, does not happen to small businesses like this. We have put in extensive work with each business to ensure they are as best prepared as they can be for the ploughing and the maximise this opportunity through sales and marketing training and stand development. The Local Enterprise Village is always a hub of wonderful products and innovative services and will no doubt be a big hit again with the visitors to Ballintrane.

The NPA Kildare Director John Dunne said; “It is marvelous to see that so many diverse and interesting businesses, from every county in Ireland, will be represented at this year’s National Ploughing Championships’ ‘Local Enterprise Village’.  This is an ideal and unique opportunity for these companies to showcase their products & services to the huge number of visitors that Ploughing attracts.”

This unique initiative by the Local Enterprise Offices means that over 30 small businesses from across the country get the chance to exhibit and sell at Europe’s largest outdoor event, something that would not be financially viable most small businesses across the country. The Local Enterprise Offices are located nationwide and play a key role in helping small businesses to start and grow. Since their inception in 2014 they have helped create over 18,000 jobs in indigenous companies all over the country.

The 88^th National Ploughing Championships take place from the 17^th to 19^th of September in Ballintrane, Fenagh, County Carlow. For more information on the Local Enterprise Village and the supports that the Local Enterprise Offices give to small businesses go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie

Over one hundred Top Oil billboards are located around the country advertising #Ploughing19 in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow from Sept 17th to 19th.

At the Top Oil/Ploughing launch Anna May McHugh said “it is a very important partnership with Top Oil as the signs remind patrons that it is time to get ready for ploughing.

As the main fuel sponsors, Top Oil bring much to the table in terms of supporting the hosting of the Championships.

As the onsite fuel supplier, they will supply the fuel requirements for the entire event throughout the 3 days such as the supply for all of the generators powering the site and the lighting towers that extend out to a radius of over 30 km, all of the event machinery and courtesy vehicles, and the fuel requirements of many of the 1700 exhibitors and the 350 competitor tractors.”

Andrew Meagher, Head of Sales, Direct & Reseller at Top Oil , said “We are delighted to be supporting this prestigious event for our sixth consecutive year. The move to Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow will provide a great boost for the area and we have no doubt that the event will be as successful as it has been for many years now.
There is always great excitement throughout our nationwide network of Top Oil depots and retail sites about the ploughing and this year is no different. We are proud to be providing quality fuels and excellent customer service to local businesses and farming communities across Ireland for many years.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ‘PLOUGHING’ AS TOP OIL BRAND THE NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS. Pictured at the launch of the NPC 2019 road-sign billboards in conjunction with Top Oil for this yearÕs National Ploughing Championships which will be held in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow from Sept 17th to 19th. From left: Anna May McHugh, NPA Managing Director; Matt Byrne, Top OIl Business Development Manager; Louise Hyland, Top Oil Marketing Manager; Mr. Ted and Andrew Meagher, Top Oil Head of Sales, Direct & Resellers.
Picture: Alf Harvey, no reproduction fee, supplied from NPA.

We are really looking forward to working closely with The National Ploughing Association again this year. Our two organisations have our roots in local rural communities and we very much look forward to supporting the NPA to showcase and celebrate the very best of rural Ireland.
We welcomed many customers, new and old, to our stand at the Ploughing last year and we hope to meet many more at this year’s event.”

A great crowd attended the 1954 World Ploughing Contest ‘Cairn of Peace’ monument as it was unveiled in the centre of Killarney, Co Kerry at the weekend, for a very joyous and historic occasion.

Each year a ‘Cairn of Peace’ is erected in the location where the competition was run and it is was fantastic to see that 65 years later this tremendous monument was unveiled.  This was the first World Ploughing Contest to take place on European soil and the second ever World Ploughing Competition.

13 teams from all over the world competed over the 2 days in Killarney in 1954.  As the monument was unveiled flags representing each of these countries were raised as the Irish National Anthem was sung.

It was also a great privilege to have the 1954 winner from Northern Ireland Hugh Barr attend and representatives from the 1954 Republic of Ireland Ploughing team comprised of William Murphy and Ronald Sheane.

It is important to note that the NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh & Anna Marie McHugh the World Ploughing Organization General Secretary, the local organising committee chaired by Tom Leslie all in Kerry Ploughing and Kerry County Council all worked tirelessly to ensure that this wonderful initiative came to fruition.

“Let peace cultivate the land” The Cairn of Peace Monument to commemorate the World Ploughing Championships held in Gortroe, Killarney in 1954, was unveiled by Mrs Anna May McHugh, Managing Director of National Ploughing Association (NPA) and Mr Hugh Barr, (aged 93) from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, who won the World Ploughing championships in Killarney that year. The Cairn of Peace, symbolizes the spirit of this competition, in keeping with tradition, a piece of stone from all the countries that participated in the world forms part of the cairn.Mrs McHugh, was secretary of the National Ploughing Association when the world championships were held in Killarney. The Cairn is located on Mission Road, Killarney. The plough was donated by local Farmer, Sean O’Donoghue, the Cairn was designed and built by Ben O’Sullivan, Ballyhar, and organised by South Kerry Ploughing Association and NPA.Photo:Valerie O’Sullivan/FREE PIC***/Issued 12/05/2019

Bernard O’Sullivan a Killarney local designed this magnificent work of art, which will stand the test of time and be admired by future generations who will be reminded of the importance of ‘Ploughing’ and the motto ‘Let Peace Cultivate the Land.’