The National Ploughing Championships is a rural competition held in a different part of Ireland by the National Ploughing Association every year. The first Ploughing Championships were held in February 1931 in Athy, County Kildare. The festival is the largest ploughing championship internationally and Europe's largest outdoor event relating to agriculture.

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  • The National Ploughing Championships is a rural competition held in a different part of Ireland by the National Ploughing Association every year. The first Ploughing Championships were held in February 1931 in Athy, County Kildare. The festival is the largest ploughing championship internationally and Europe's largest outdoor event relating to agriculture. The National Ploughing Championships is the largest event in Ireland's farming calendar, with 180,000 people projected to watch proceedings during the most recent event in 2009—at least 50,000 of these on the first day. Traffic problems are common due to increased volumes and extra members of the Garda Síochána are on duty during the event to ensure its smooth running. President of Ireland Mary McAleese opened the Championships on 22 September 2009, a festival which featured nine hundred stands. Taoiseach Brian Cowen, Fine Gael leader and Leader of the Opposition Enda Kenny, Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore and several government ministers, including Irish Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Brendan Smith, were also due to attend at some point during the event. The 2009 Championships featured nineteen All-Ireland ploughing finals including finals in Horse Ploughing, Vintage Ploughing and the Queen of the Plough. Non-farming events to take place during the Championships include "most appropriately dressed" man and woman for which there is a prize of a holiday. Dáil Éireann is broadcast live from the Oireachtas tent at the event. Neven Maguire hosted cookery demonstrations on a daily basis. The Treaty of Lisbon was also a major topic in 2009, with the second referendum on the Treaty due to occur one week later.
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  • The National Ploughing Championships is a rural competition held in a different part of Ireland by the National Ploughing Association every year. The first Ploughing Championships were held in February 1931 in Athy, County Kildare. The festival is the largest ploughing championship internationally and Europe's largest outdoor event relating to agriculture.
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  • National Ploughing Championships
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