Visitors to this year’s National Ploughing Championships will have the opportunity to get train transport from around Ireland to travel to Tullamore, where Bus Éireann will operate a shuttle service for the short (5 km) trip to the Screggan site over the days from Tuesday 20th to Thursday 22nd of September.*
Anna May McHugh, Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association said “this service is a huge opportunity for visitors and exhibitors to leave the car at home and use public transport to get to the Ploughing Championships, which will have the knock on effect of visitors being dropped off much closer to the entrance gate, less traffic on the road and easier access. For those that need to drive Tullamore is so centrally located in Ireland that it is an ideal venue, easily reached from all parts of the country.”
Improving visitor experience is always a priority for the National Ploughing and this year is no exception with NPA piloting a park n ride system for Dublin traffic. The service will be complimentary and operate frequently each way throughout the 3 days giving visitors the added benefit of a drop off point within a few hundred metres of exhibition arena.
As Europe’s largest outdoor event, this year’s Championships will include the core Machinery & Livestock Exhibition, Motor Displays, Agri. Parts and Services, Live Entertainment, Cookery Demonstrations, Indoor Trade Halls, Artisan Foods, Forestry Village, Baking Competitions, Shopping Arcades, Fashion, Vintage Exhibition, and a Bio-Energy Village.
The variety of stands attending the Ploughing is sure to have something to interest all of the family; food, crafts, health, leisure, hotels, government departments, celebrities, demonstrations, cookery and lots more, as well as the top ploughmen and women battling it out for the National title and an opportunity to represent Ireland at next year’s World Ploughing Contest in Kenya.
*Travel on scheduled morning train services from: Galway departing 06.30, 07.30 and 09.30hrs
Mayo departing Westport 05.20 and 07.15hrs and Ballina departing 07.50hrs
Dublin departing 07.35 and 09.25hrs to Tullamore where a bus awaits to transfer you to the 2016 NPC site
Cork departing at 07.00 and 08.00hrs
Kerry departing Tralee at 05.55 and 07.00hrs and Killarney at 06.27 and 07.37hrs for train transfer from Portarlington to Tullamore for bus transfer to 2016 NPC site
Constant bus returns to Tullamore station from 15.00hrs onwards