National Ploughing Championships

The championships began in 1931 as a settled argument between two men over which county ploughed better, and the competitive ploughing is still the core - hundreds of competitors working horse and tractor classes, judged on furrow straightness, depth and finish, with national titles at stake and a route to the world championships. Around that has grown one of the largest outdoor events in Europe: roughly a quarter of a million visitors over three days, around fifteen hundred exhibitors, machinery displays, livestock, sheepdog trials, fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, a substantial food section and a great deal of politics, since every party in the country sets up a stand and the taoiseach attends. The site moves each year and is a working farm converted for the week. Everything depends on the ground: 2018 was abandoned on the third day for storm, and wet years turn the whole site to mud.

What you actually see

• The ploughing - horse and tractor classes judged on furrow work.
• The scale - around a quarter of a million people and fifteen hundred exhibitors.
• The politics - every party with a stand, and the taoiseach in attendance.
• The rural showcase - machinery, livestock, food, crafts and sheepdog trials.

When to go

September, over three days. The site changes annually - check the location before planning. Park and ride is the only sensible approach; roads around the site clog completely.

Honest expectations

A field with no hard surfaces - wellingtons are essential, and wet years are genuinely miserable. Enormous crowds and long walks between sections. It has been cancelled mid-event for weather. Traffic around the site is severe.

Nearby

Depends on the host site each year.