Ground set for 50th Westmeath Ploughing Championships

The Westmeath Ploughing Championships will mark their 50th anniversary in a low key way, when they take place at Kilbeggan on Sunday, March 12.

PJ Lynam, one of the organisers, explained that the reason for no big celebration is that he lost his brother just last year, and the competitions takes place on the land he used to farm.

As a mark of respect, there will be no celebration, but competition in the full range of classes will go ahead from noon on Sunday.

In the five decades of the event, foot-and-mouth prevented it running in 2001, and the Covid-19 pandemic stopped it 20 years later.

“Last year we had a private event, and now we’re back open to the public,” said PJ. “It’s just outside Kilbeggan, between the town and the racecourse, on the old Mullingar road, and we’ll have competitors from Northern Ireland, a lot in the vintage classes, from Laois, Tipperary, Galway, and the surrounding areas. We hope to have about 60 or 70 competitors in the different classes.”

They include conventional, reversible, horse ploughing, farmerette and loy digging. “The Galway girl, Maura Canning, will be up,” said PJ.

The event runs between noon and 4pm on the farm of the Lynam family; contact PJ on 086 251 3787 for more information.