The 92nd National Ploughing Championships return to the Ratheniska site in Co. Laois

Europe’s largest outdoor event, “The National Ploughing Championships” is set to return to Ratheniska, Co Laois from 19 – 21 September for a second year, given the triumph of last year’s event.

The total attendance figures for the 2022 ‘Ploughing’ came to an amazing 277,000 visitors and with over 1,700 exhibitors it was an incredible success.

Popularly known by the Irish as “the Ploughing Match” or simply “the Ploughing” this is rural Ireland’s biggest annual event and a much-anticipated date in the farming and social calendar. The first inter-county ploughing contest took place in 1931 as a result of an argument between two lifelong friends. Each argued that their respective counties had the best ploughmen. And so a challenge was called for and the first National Ploughing contest took place in 1931 at Coursetown in Athy. Since then, the National Ploughing Championships has grown in size, year on year. It has expanded from requiring a small field of 26 acres to needing over 700 acres of land today....180 acres for ploughing, 100 acres for trade stands and exhibition space,

400 acres of car parking and a 25-acre demonstration area.

The National Ploughing Championships has become much more than just an annual inter-county competition; it has become an intrinsic part of Irish rural life.

The National Championships is still a contest pitting the skills of international ploughmen against each other but is now also a massive trade show, with livestock and machinery exhibitions and features something for just about every member of the community...a Tented Trade Village, a Food Fair, Craft Village, Livestock, Forestry, Education, Lifestyle, Motor Show, Financial Services, Bio Energy and Agri Service. Along with this, there are many entertainment and special events taking place. Some of these include: Fashion Shows, Celebrity Guests, Sheep Dog Trials, Loy Digging, All Ireland Lamb Shearing, Most Appropriately Dressed Lady and Gent Competitions, Craft Demonstrations, Meggers, Celebrity Cookery Demonstrations, Outdoor Radio Broadcasts and much more.