The 88th National Ploughing Championships will take place in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow from Sept 17th – 19th 2019.

The National Championships is now no longer just for ploughing or machinery enthusiasts, the modern event now features something for just about every member of the community. 

The first inter-county ploughing contest took place in 1931 as a result of an argument between two lifelong friends, Denis Allen of Gorey, County Wexford and JJ Bergin of Athy, County Kildare. Each argued that their respective counties had the best ploughmen. This resulted in a challenge being called for. Therefore, on Monday 16th of February 1931, the first National Ploughing contest took place in Mr W.K. Hosie’s field 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. Since its inception, 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 attracting in excess of over 1,700 exhibitors and up to 291,500 visitors.

Everyone is welcome at the Volac stand, come and speak to our experts for friendly help and advice! 

Find out more about the National Ploughing Championships