Members of South & West Sligo Tourism attended the National Ploughing Championships last week in Tullamore. Castle Dargan Hotel and the Diamond Coast Hotel braved the elements and displayed at Europe’s largest outdoor event to promote Sligo and all it has to offer.
The National Ploughing Championships takes place each year in the month of September.
This year the Championships were held at Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from Sept 18th to 20th.
Since the first inter- county ploughing contest in 1931, the National Ploughing Championships has grown in size each year. It has expanded from a field of 26 acres to over 700 acres of land today. This site includes 220 acres for ploughing, 150 acres for trade stands and exhibition space, 400 acres of car parking and a demo area of about 25 acres. Since its inception, the National Ploughing Championships has become much more than just an annual inter-county competition; it has become an important part of Irish rural life.
Today, the National Championships features something for everyone which includes a Trade Village, a food fair, craft village, livestock, education, entertainment, lifestyle, bio energy and agri service. The day’s events provide a variety of entertainment and shows for every type of audience, these include fashion shows, craft and cookery demos and radio broadcasts.
