The Ploughing Championship for 2009 has come and gone and by all
accounts it has been a resounding success.
Returning to the area in which the first inter county ploughing contest
was held in February 1931, this year’s event brought almost 150,000 visitors,
compared to the 3,000 who were reported to have been present at the one day
event held at Coursetown, Athy on Monday, 16th February 1931. On that occasion there were ten counties
represented in the ploughing competitions, with 52 horse ploughing competitors
and six tractor competitors. The winning
county was Wexford, with its team captain Edward Jones who used a Pierce plough
winning the first prize and the gold medal for all round ploughing. Jones also won the ESMA Perpetual Challenge Cup
as the champion ploughman of Ireland.
The Nationalist newspaper in its report of the 1931 ploughing
championships mentioned 14 year old James Ryan of Athy who came third in the
local class using a Ransome plough and whose work the reporter noted was ‘one of the outstanding features of the
competition.’
Local ploughing contests had been a feature of rural life in Ireland
for many years prior to then and local Kildare newspapers often carried reports
of ploughing competitions at Levitstown, Kilkea and Narraghmore. However, it was J.J. Bergin of Maybrook, Athy
with his friend Denis Allen of Wexford who first mooted the idea of an inter
county ploughing contest following a ploughing match in the Athy area in
February 1930. That first inter county
contest was held on the lands of Captain Hosie at Coursetown, Athy on 16th
February 1931. The organising committee
for the event was chaired by D.C. Greene, with James Duthie as treasurer and
J.J. Bergin as Honorary Secretary.
Contrary to the oft repeated claims that the first competition was confined
to ploughmen from Counties Kildare and Wexford the competitors in fact
represented counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Offaly, Leix, Kildare, Wexford, Wicklow,
Dublin, Cork and Louth.
Each county was represented by three ploughmen who provided their
own ploughs, swings and marking poles, while pairs of plough horses were
provided by local farmers where necessary.
These horses were brought to the plough field by their owners and the
various competitors then drew lots to decide which horses they could use for
the competition. A very detailed set of
rules were laid down by the Competition Committee including a ban on ‘coulters or any other gadgets’. Each competitor was allowed to avail of the help of the horse owners
man at yoking his horses and the same man was allowed to accompany the
competitor for the first round, ‘but must
not handle the reins or plough’.
The David Frame Perpetual Challenge Cup and a cash price of £12 were
offered for the overall county winners while the ESMA Perpetual Challenge Cup
presented by Estate Management Supplies Association of Millicent Sallins and £5
went to the individual ploughman who was named champion of Ireland.
The tractor class also attracted prizes, as did the contest confined
to County Kildare ploughmen and there were a number of other prizes ranging
from best work by an Irish made plough to best turn out of horses and harnesses. However, the most unusual competition prize
was that awarded to ‘the married
competitor with the greatest number in family.’ That worthy individual was to receive a
10stone bag of flour presented by Mr. J. Gracie of Kilmeade.
The programme for the 1931 event carried a number of advertisements
for local firms. Messrs Greene Brothers
of Kilkea Lodge Maganey, auctioneers, valuers and livestock salesmen, advised
potential clients that ‘all business
entrusted to us will be attended to promptly and with care.’
Industrial Vehicles (Ireland) Ltd. advertised the sale of ‘universal trailers’ being part of their
business as ‘main tractor dealers and
trailer manufacturers’. Jackson
Brothers of 58 Leinster Street were agents for Star ploughs and stocked ploughs
and harrow fittings, as well as having ‘a
fully equipped workshop for all motor and cycle repairs’ in addition to a
high class grocery.
The Leinster Arms Hotel, telephone no. Athy 21, was fully licenced
with a free garage and advertised itself as a first class family and commercial
hotel. Minch Norton and Company Limited
of Levitstown Mills, Maganey specialised in Decorticated cotton cake, Yefato yeast
cake, standard pig meal and other animal feeds as well as importing American
and English linseed cake, Rangoon ground nut meal and many other exotic
sounding commodities.
The Central Hotel in Leinster Street owned by J. Hutchinson proudly
advertised that it had ‘electric lights
throughout’ with hot and cold baths, home comforts and excellent
cooking. Thomas L. Flood, proprietor of
the Railway Hotel, included in his advertisement the line ‘official caterer’. There was no further explanation, but I assume
that this reference related to the hotel’s position as official caterer to the
ploughing contest.
Duthie Large & Co. of the Foundry, Athy were agents for all the
major plough manufacturers as well as Fordson tractors and Ford cars and
trucks. E. Nolan of 1 Leinster Street
was local agent for seed merchants Hogg and Robertson of Mary Street,
Dublin. An advertiser unfamiliar to me
was Eugene J. Fagan of Duke Street who described himself as Irish Sales and
Service Manager for Beardmore Commercial Vehicles which were suited for the
carriage of livestock, agricultural produce and general merchantise. He had offices in Athy as well as a service
depot and stores.
The Nationalist newspaper reporting on the ploughing contest in
Coursetown in 1931 mentioned that the weather was ‘extremely cold with rain and sleet, but this did not dampen the ardour
of the spectators who took a keen interest in what has been well described as
the battle of the ploughs’.
This year’s event, just a stones throws away in Cardenton, (indeed
one of the car parks for the 2009 event was the site of the 1931 event) was
marked with good weather and the many thousands who travelled from all parts of
Ireland over the three days spent several enjoyable hours visiting the nine
hundred or so exhibition stands and the ploughing events.
J.J. Bergin, an Athy man of tremendous initiative, was the driving
force behind the early development of the National Ploughing Association and
was one of the founders in 1952 of the World Ploughing Association. The continuing success of the National
Ploughing Association and its annual event owes much to another local person, Anna
May McHugh who since 1973 has served as Managing Director of the National
Ploughing Association. The huge success
of this year’s event is a fitting testament to Anna May’s organisational skills
and the wonderful team which is the National Ploughing Association.
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