The National Ploughing Championships officially opened to the public on Tuesday morning.
The annual showcase, taking place in Ratheniska in Co Laois, is one of the largest outdoor events in Europe.
President Michael D. Higgins will officially launch the event this lunchtime.
Here is everything you need to know about this year's event:
When is it on?
The National Ploughing Championships takes place from September 17th until September 19th.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the first day of the Ploughing Championships held in the expansive farmlands of Ratheniska in Co Laois.
The numbers in attendance this year are expected to surpass last year’s total, when just over 200,000 braved wet and windy conditions.
Do you need a ticket?
Yes, you can buy tickets online for each of the days with the prices being €25 for adults, and €20 for senior citizens and secondary school students. Children under the age of 12 go free, but must be accompanied by an adult.
How do I get there?
There are plenty of ways to get to the site with multiple car parks and shuttle bus routes servicing the area. Garda have been doing this for some time, and have a detailed traffic plan with colour coded routes guiding people from some distance.
You can check out the helpful map below for more information on the routes or head over to the official website here.
What is the weather meant to be like?
Thankfully, unlike previous years, the weather is meant to be quite nice, so you thankfully won't need your wellies!
The first day will be “largely dry with long spells of sunshine for many” with highest temperatures ranging from 18 to 22 degrees – with the Ploughing likely to get the higher temperatures.
What events will be there?
There is plenty on offer for all ages, with welly-throwing competitions each day, pony club games, funfairs, artisan food makers, music, dancing, fashion shows, sheep-shearing, baking competitions as well as displays of cutting-edge tech and machinery.
There are well over 2,000 stalls, so there is plenty to discover.
Support local crafts and companies by checking out the @Loc_Enterprise stand at #Ploughing2024 pic.twitter.com/2OI1LcoBGC
— National Ploughing (@NPAIE) September 17, 2024
Who will be there?
Taoiseach Simon Harris, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister Michelle O’Neill are among the politicians expected to attend on Tuesday as they gear up for a general election in the coming months.
Finally, what are the issues impacting farmers?
Denis Drennan, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), said that farmers had been at the centre of “a perfect storm” for over a year.
He said that farmers’ income had “absolutely collapsed” across all sectors in 2023 compared to the previous year and for the dairy sector the drop was even greater – at 69 per cent.
“Farmers’ incomes have got worse this year due – I know it’s hard to believe today, it’s a picture postcard day out there at the moment – but the weather for the past 15 months has been horrific.
“And then we have rules and regulations coming at us left, right and centre from an environmental point of view that people want to engage with but comes at a cost as well.
“So when your income is down, bad weather, a lot of regulation and a high cost system since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, so there’s a lot of things pitching against us and morale is low at the moment.”
Additional reporting PA
