Author: National Ploughing Association

The first day of the National Ploughing Championships 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of a hugely significant organ donor awareness event. The 17th September 2009, ten years ago, was the day when Emmy Award winning screenwriter Frank Deasy passed away from liver cancer. An radio  interview just days before with his old friend RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy on Liveline about his plight and what he described as being like ‘on death row’ while waiting for a liver transplant spurred a huge public response and surge in organ donor card requests to the Irish Kidney Association. Sadly Frank passed away in the same week  whilst undergoing a liver transplant operation. Frank’s remarkable legacy remains unprecedented, generating a massive public response with over 15,000 individual requests for organ donor cards in just one week. A couple years after Frank’s passing, Joe became a national ambassador for organ donor awareness, a role which he held for three years,  and he continues to advocate for organ donation and highlighting the plight of people with organ failure.

The Irish Kidney Association is proud of its new Exhibition Trailer which is making its first reveal at the 2019 National Ploughing Championships in Ballintrane, Carlow where it is now in situ (photos attached) at Stand no. 607, Row 26. The National Ploughing Championships offer an important platform for the Irish Kidney Association to promote the work it does as a registered charity organisation which advocates for dialysis and transplant patients and their families as well as being charged with the promotion and distribution of organ donor cards in Ireland. The Ploughing Championships provide a huge organ donor awareness opportunity and the Irish Kidney Association team will be distributing organ donor cards and providing information to the public from its new Exhibition Trailer on the subject of organ donation over the three days. For organ donor cards Freetext DONOR to 50050.

We wish the Championships organisers another hugely successful event.

What is homer?

For those seeking to reconnect with a move back to their home place or those downsizing on their family land, homer offers a practical, affordable, alternative to the standard planning process.

With considered, energy-efficient designs and a transparent online process, homer navigates all areas of the planning application.

Planning Expertise

homer provides a planning application service with architecturally designed homes for modern living in rural Ireland. homer is a growing company based in the West of Ireland, led by architects Elizabeth Clyne and John Monahan. With their expertise in the planning process and a passion for quality design, homer provides a stress-free, value for money, planning experience for its clients. homer streamlines the planning process while providing economical architecture, that fits into the surrounding landscape.

Inspired by our Landscape

homer is rooted by a deep commitment to conserving our natural landscape and built environment. homer’s considered, energy-efficient designs, integrate into the site and surrounding topography, thus respecting the landscape. homer looks to the vernacular and is inspired by the buildings of the past that blend into their surroundings. homer’s designs have cultural continuity while providing a place for the modern Irish dweller.

To suit your lifestyle

homer’s designs aspire to enhance life in rural Ireland. External covered entrances, mudrooms, plenty of storage space and laundry rooms take the stress out of rural living. homer’s designs feature a double-height living space, a garden porch, a veranda and a reading nook.

homer makes it easy to designate an area or a room of your house to a work or play area, allowing a flexible work environment that suits your needs. These features create a modern, architectural home that adapts to your lifestyle.

Designed for a Sustainable Future

homer has created energy-efficient designs that will reduce the impact on the environment. The form and layout of the design provide a compact but spacious floor area, creating an efficient thermal envelope.

Do you fancy your chances in a ‘Formula 1 Tractor’ challenge? Could you beat All-Black Richie McCaw’s 1km time of one minute on a Watt Bike? Can you jump like an elite athlete or handle creepy crawlies calmly?

Visitors to this year’s Ploughing Championships (17^th-19^th September) will have the opportunity to find these out and more with a visit to the Institute of Technology Carlow tent over the three days of the championships.  This year sees the Institute host its biggest-ever stand with a 15square metre marquee located near the NPA office and adjacent to the catering area.

Inside, attendees can experience the fascinating world of agri science, computing and gaming, health science and environmental science courtesy of a team of academics, volunteers – and some VIP guests – from the Carlow and Wexford campus of Institute of Technology Carlow.

“Anyone who visits the IT Carlow marquee at the Ploughing this year can happily while away the time experiencing first-hand fascinating facts and participating in fun challenges across our many disciplines, including Engineering, Science, Computing, Health, Sport and Lifelong Learning across our three campuses of Carlow, Wexford and Wicklow. Our academic staff have worked really hard to bring the worlds of science, agri, engineering, health and computing to life”, said organiser Dr. Karen Hennessy, Head of Wexford Campus.

Visitors will have the opportunity to sit into a Formula 1 car built by IT Carlow’s  engineering students, try out gaming students award-winning video games and even test themselves with a tractor racing simulator. The fastest lap will receive a real track day experience at Mondello Park.

The agri/sciences stand is where visitors can learn about grazers from the inside out, meet Rosey the science spider and discover the importance of creepy crawlies and amazing microbes.

“All of our programmes will be represented at the Ploughing Championship across Business, Humanities, Sport, Science, Computing, Engineering and the Wexford Campus and, of course, people will have the opportunity to learn about our courses in agribusiness, aquabusiness and brewing and distilling. We will have a few VIP guests dropping in too so the IT Carlow tent will be buzzing over the three days of the Ploughing Championships”, said Dr. Hennessy.

The Institute of Technology Carlow marquee is located at Block 4, Row 18, No. 395

Quietly distilled in West Cork, Mad March Hare Irish Poitín is part of a national revival of Poitín as an emerging, modern, innovative and vibrant category, led by independent Irish producers. Poitín is of the oldest spirits in the world, dating from the 6th century, and was traditionally the spirit of choice for the average Irish man or woman. In contrast, Irish Whiskey was the beverage of choice for the elite, with the majority exported overseas and was known as ‘Parliament Whiskey’ because of the taxes levied on it and its popularity in Great Britain.

Well known for its chequered history, Poitín was illegal from 1661 to 1997 after the British Crown tried unsuccessfully to tax it to extinction. Despite the best efforts of the law, Ireland’s love affair with Poitín never died and it was secretly distilled for over 300 years, remaining an integral part of everyday Irish life. Elusive distillers shifted production to the remotest parts of Ireland, to avoid the prying eyes of the law and most town-lands had their own beloved producers and smugglers whose escapades were the subject of fireside tales.

Mad March Hare Irish Poitín was inspired by a legendary bootlegger and Poitín maker called Mooney. On the face of it, Mooney — said locally to be ‘Mad as a March Hare’, was a fruit and veg market trader, but this was really a front for his far more lucrative Poitín business. Such was the demand for Mooney’s famous Poitín, he braved the wildest Irish weather and the long arm of the law to serve his loyal customers. Mad March Hare is distilled in the spirit of Mooney’s famous recipe, ‘Recipe No. 27’.

Mad March Hare is a craft spirit, triple distilled in copper pots using locally grown barley. Commonly used to distill whiskey and brandy, copper pot stills were first used in the production of Irish Poitín — Poitín or ‘Potcheen’ means ‘small pot’ in Irish. That long and rich tradition is retained at Mad March Hare, as copper has catalytic properties that more modern ‘column stills’ cannot match. Poitín, which can be brewed, fermented and distilled from cereals, grain, whey, sugar beet molasses and/or potatoes is a clear, non-aged spirit. Mad March Hare uses only the best, locally sourced, malted barley from farmers within a couple of miles of the stills. The mash bill is 95% malted barley, 5% whey and the spirit is triple distilled, filtered and bottled at 40% for a smooth finish.

Poitín is an extremely versatile spirit, and has grown to become an essential component of the modern cocktail scene, as an ideal alternative white spirit. It works well in a simple mule, such as the ‘Mad March Mule’ cocktail made with 2oz Mad March Hare, 1oz Ginger Beer, Fresh Lime and Bitters, a house drink at Bar 1661, the world’s first Poitín focused cocktail bar. An excellent base in a craft cocktail, Poitín is also a great alternative to whiskey in an Irish coffee, or for the purists, it can be enjoyed sipped along with a pint of plain.

Since being legalised in 1997 Irish Poitín has grown as a category with 13 distilleries now operating on the island of Ireland, with different regional styles and mash bills. In 2008 Irish Poitín gained the protection of Geographical Indicator (GI) status under EU rules(similar to Champagne in France), and Bord Bia has gone on to facilitate the establishment of the Irish Poitín Collective, made up of Poitín producers from all over the island. Since its release in 2014 Mad March Hare Irish Poitín has been a key player in the emerging Poitín category and has picked up a number of awards. The 700ml bottle has a RRP of €40.00 (40% ABV) and is distributed throughout Europe and the USA through independent Irish company Intrepid Spirits, who are committed to bringing innovative and resurgent brands to the marketplace. Mad March Hare is proud to be served at Bar 1661, the flagship cocktail bar for Irish Poitín, alongside the very best Irish Poitíns being produced on this island.

“As a nation with a long history, and a longer memory, Poitín was traditionally drank at home and amongst friends in shared in a gesture of trust that bound many friendships and partnerships together. The ‘Mad March Hare’ Mooney wouldn’t have gotten very far if his customers told the taxman about him! Poitín has evolved into a unique spirit of craftsmanship, high quality, and versatility to be celebrated as part of our modern Irish culture. At Mad March Hare, we are proud to be playing our part in the revival of Ireland’s most original spirit and see Poitín taking its rightful place as an icon of world spirits.” – John Ralph, founder and CEO of Intrepid Spirits.

NATIONAL PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

Get into the rebel spirit at the Ploughing!

Mad March Hare Irish Poitín will be at the National Ploughing Championships in Co. Carlow, 17th-19th September.

Try complimentary samples of Mad March Mule cocktails at the Mad March Hare cart at Stand 645 in the Dome