10 things to know for the National Ploughing Championships

1. It’s on in Tullamore, Co Offaly in September 20-22^nd
2. It’s the largest outdoor exhibition in Europe
3. Over 280,000 people are expected to attend – farmers will only make up 35% of attendees – also there will be fishermen, fashion experts, foodies and everything in between –  Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both have tents at the event too
4. Not only are there competitions for ploughing, but there’s also one for bread making and an Innovation competition run by Enterprise Ireland
5. Over €36M will be spent on-site during the three-day event
6. Anna May McHugh, managing director of the NPA, now over 80 years of age, has tirelessly since the 1950s built up the event to the success it is today.
7. The scale of the event is enormous – 180 acres of land required for ploughing and 80 acres for trade stands
8. Bring your wellies – while it is superbly well organised, it is taking place in a field – and as well as the wellies, bring coat and hat to keep warm and dry – it’s September in Ireland after all
9. Remember where you parked your car – it will be one of the thousands parked in the 400 acres of car parking at the event
10. And when it does rain – the indoor exhibit area is the place to be – Innopharma College of Applied Sciences is there to talk about their range of courses for the food industry from post-leaving cert level right up to Masters’ degree level– drop by to kick start your career in the buoyant food/agri-food industry. Meet our team at Block 3 – Row 30 – Stand 742

Click here to read about our Food Science Courses