Farming
Kings of the plough
Over 60 competitors from all over the country took part in last Sunday’s Co. Galway Ploughing Championships at Daly’s farm in Aughrim last Sunday with an exceptionally high standard of competition.
As well as the local Galway contingent, ploughmen also travelled from Northern Ireland, Longford, Sligo, North Tipperary, Clare, Wexford, Mayo and Kilkenny for what turned out to be an extremely competitive event.
The prizegiving ceremony took place that evening in Valerie’s of Aughrim with a special presentation made to John Slattery of Tipperary who incredibly has competed at Galway ploughing matches since 1956.
Chairman of the National Ploughing Association (NPA), James Sutton, congrtulated the competitors for their high standards and wished them well in the All-Ireland finals next September in Stradbally.
Other repreentatives of the NPA present were: Vice-Chairman, P.J.Lynham, who looked after the allocation of plots and score sheets; Eddie Hally; Maurice McEnery and Bernard Kenny.
Galway County Chairman, Tom Fahey, thanked the Daly family for the great site and he also paid a special thanks to the judges – John Treacy, Carlow; Pat Brandon, Laois; Mick Mahon, Offaly; Liam White, Offaly; Gerard Hannon and John Joe Donnelly from Clare; Andy O’Connell, Willie Stokes, Nial Murphy, Dermot O’ Flynn and Philip Cotter from Cork.
He also thanked all those who helped to make the day such a great success including the Gardai, the road collectors, parking stewards under Noel Harney and Frank Golderick and the Galway NPA volunteers of Joe Flanagan, Ollie Furey, Gerry Reilly, Pat Higgins, Denis O’Malley, Seamus Daly, John Daly, John Curley and the man who was insrumental in bringing the championships to Aughrim – County Secretary, Martin Gormally.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.