Kildare looks forward to next year's Ploughing Championships

KILDARE is set to become the centre of the Irish farming world next year after it was announced that the 2027 National Ploughing Championships will be held at Boherkill Farm, Rathangan.

Tens of thousands of visitors, competitors, exhibitors and agricultural organisations will descend on Rathangan.

Assistant managing director and PRO of the National Ploughing Association, Anna Marie McHugh, said the association was “very excited” about moving to a new venue.

“It’s always great to be going to a new venue because it’s bringing the benefit of the ploughing into the area and there’s lots of business potential with the event,” she said.

Ms McHugh said the economic benefits could extend well beyond the event itself, with local eateries and accommodation all benefiting from the influx of visitors.

She said the suitability of the land, access, road structure and proximity to motorways were among the key considerations in selecting the new venue.

“It’s very central, it’s a great location,” she said, noting the importance of road access and accommodation when hosting an event of such scale.

The move will see the championships return to Kildare for the first time in a number of years, and it has already been warmly welcomed by those involved in the agricultural community.

Chairperson of the Kildare Ploughing Association, Fergal Byrne, said the announcement represented “a great boost” for Kildare, with the economic impact expected to reach businesses across the county.

“It’s going to be a great boost,” he said. “The onslaught of business is going to be tremendous.” 

He also believes the event will provide an important opportunity to showcase Kildare’s agricultural community.

The Kildare Ploughing Association itself is also approaching a significant milestone, with the organisation celebrating 75 years on the trot this year. Mr Byrne said the anniversary would be marked at the association’s county match next spring, meaning the 75th anniversary year will coincide with the National Ploughing Championships coming to the county.

The venue at Boherkill Farm, Rathangan, is also expected to provide a fantastic setting for the championships. 

Mr Byrne, who is from Calverstown, said the farm was a particularly attractive location and described it as a “spectacular site”.

He also pointed to the surrounding road network and access to the motorway as important factors in accommodating the huge volume of traffic associated with the championships.

Planning for the event will begin very soon, with Mr Byrne expecting an organising committee to be established in the coming months to deal with the many aspects involved in staging an event of this scale.

Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, a Rathangan native and Fianna Fáil representative for Kildare South, also welcomed the announcement, describing it as a “huge opportunity” for Rathangan and Kildare.

“We have a huge farming community and a strong agricultural tradition here in Kildare,” she said.

“To now have the opportunity to welcome people from across the country and beyond for one of Ireland’s largest events is hugely exciting.” 

She said hosting the championships would provide a significant economic boost to Rathangan and the surrounding area, while putting the town and county “firmly in the spotlight”.

Local Fianna Fáil councillor Brian O’Loughlin said very few towns or counties get the opportunity to host an event of such scale.

He described the announcement as “a huge vote of confidence in Rathangan” and said it was an opportunity to demonstrate that the town and wider area could host other major events in the future.

The attendance figure at this year's event in Screggan Co Offaly was put at 243,000 across the three days.

There was a strong showing by Kildare competitors at this year’s championships in Tullamore.

A number of local ploughmen and women represented the county across the three days, including several members of the Dunne family from Rathangan.

On Tuesday, Denis Dunne competed in the Intermediate Conventional Plough Class, Cormac Duggan in the Intermediate Reversible Plough Class, David Gorey in the U40 Horse Plough Class and Paddy Connolly in the Vintage Two-Furrow Trailer Class.

Wednesday saw Thomas Doyle compete in the Novice Two-Furrow Intermediate Class, Ailish Osborne in the Farmerette Plough Class and David Gorey in the Senior Horse Class.

On Thursday, Kildare was represented by Kieran Dunne and Michael Dunne in the Senior Three-Furrow Conventional class, Jason Dunne in the Junior Conventional class, David Gorey in the Special Horse Class and Keith Worrell in the Standard Three and Four-Furrow Reversible class.

There were a number of notable results for the county:

Jason Dunne took first place in the Junior B Conventional Class, while Ailish Osborne finished second in the Farmerette Class.

Keith Worrell placed third in the Standard Three and Four-Furrow Reversible Class, with Paddy Connolly taking fourth in the Vintage Two-Furrow Trailer Class.

Denis Dunne finished fifth in the Intermediate Conventional Class, while Kieran Dunne also placed fifth in the Senior Three-Furrow Conventional Class. Cormac Duggan finished seventh in the Intermediate Reversible Class.

There was further success for the county during the championships when Kildare-based agri-tech company TERRA NutriTECH was named winner of the Green Impact Award at Enterprise Ireland’s 2026 Innovation Arena competition.

The award recognises sustainability-focused solutions, with TERRA NutriTECH recognised for its CH4Guard platform, which uses precision dosing technology to deliver methane-reducing supplements through drinking water for grazing livestock, alongside real-time data to confirm the appropriate product and dose were provided.

For Rathangan, the countdown to the 2027 event has now begun, as Anna Marie McHugh reminds interested Kildare exhibitors to get in touch with the National Ploughing Association to set up a stall for next year’s event.

The National Ploughing Association opens for exhibition at the end of February 2027, so interested parties are encouraged to get in touch as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.