Probably the largest National Ploughing Association in the world the NPA, will host the National Ploughing Championships in 2022 on September 20th, 21st & 22nd in Ratheniska, Co. Laois.
Attracting an annual attendance of almost 300,000 this spectacular annual “Farming Festival” has it all!

On entering the golden fields of stubble prepare to be awed by the precision and skill of the ploughman as they hone their craft to join the realms of the elite National Ploughing Champions.
Leave behind the silent intensity of the competition fields to enter the trade arena comparable only to a busy town on market day.
Over 1,800 exhibitors sprawled over hundreds of acres Promoting, Selling, Educating and Entertaining the throngs of visitors that make their way to this bustling town built on a green field for just a few days once a year.

Agricultural Machinery and Livestock at the core of the Exhibition extending out to almost every product and service associated with Irish Life.
It’s not just about business – there are Food Fayres, Craft Demonstrations, Fashion Shows, Funfairs and traditional events Pony Club, Hunt Chase, Sheep Shearing, Sheep Dog Trials, Vintage Machinery Exhibition, Horse Shoe Throwing.
Some say “if you’ve been to “The Ploughing” then no explanation is necessary!
BUT if you haven’t no explanation is possible”, such is the uniqueness of this event.

And once every decade or two the privelege of hosting a World Contest comes around bringing with it World’s finest ploughers from over 30 countries.
Let’s hope we get to see this premiere in Co. Laois in September and watch history in the making.

info@npa.ie npexhibition@npa.ie

Ratheniska, Co. Laois.

15th – 18th September 2021.

The National Ploughing Association were delighted to recently announce details for its 2021 event, which takes place in Ratheniska, Co. Laois, from September 15th-18th.
2021 will see the National Ploughing Championships in its 90th year, and is also the 67th World Ploughing Contest.

Ploughing 2020 – Trade Exhibition Cancelled

HOPE TO RUN 89TH NATIONAL PLOUGHING COMPETITIONS BEHIND CLOSED GATES DUE TO COVID-19

The NPA have cancelled the National Ploughing Trade Exhibition due to take place in Ballintrane, Fenagh, Co Carlow from September 15th to 17th but still hope that there will be an opportunity to run the ploughing competitions behind closed gates due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said that “the Executive reached this very difficult decision to cancel the Trade Exhibition as public health and safety is our foremost priority given the current global pandemic. With visitor attendance last year of 297,000 and up to 1,700 exhibitors, we had too many concerns about how we could implement social distancing and the potential risk of bringing together people from all over the country.

However we are still hoping that we may be able to run the National Ploughing Competitions behind closed gates and that situation will be closely reviewed over the next number of weeks”.

Obviously this is very disappointing news for the hundreds of exhibitors that have already booked exhibition space but NPA will be making full refunds over the next few weeks.

With an annual economic impact reported to be in the region of 45 million euro the loss of this event is massively significant to the Irish Economy however the NPA are looking at the positive that 2021 will mark the 90th year of the NPA and Ireland will be hosting the World Ploughing Contest in tandem with the National on 15th-16th-17th -18th September – venue to be confirmed.