Lee Valley Ireland

Lee Valley Ireland will be providing customers with fantastic and traditional Irish clothing at this year’s 84th National Ploughing Championships 2015. Don’t worry; whatever way the weather turns, we will see that you’re dry, warm and looking the part.

Mr. Hurley has also decided to gift a Lee Valley Peeked Cap from the selection available to anyone who buys our Cork Jacket. In addition we will have coupons for customers who would like to buy from our stall over the course of the three days. Just follow us on Twitter or Facebook to see how you can get these coupons.

Lee Valley Ireland will have an array of clothing on display and for sale at the National Ploughing Championships and here is a taster. Our Cork Jackets and Mayo jackets are the finest coats on the market providing their owners reliability, durability and quality. Our traditional tweed vest and caps will whisk you back to the early 1930’s in Ireland and our Vintage shirts will awaken your nostalgia of Ireland long ago and give you a sentimental yearning for that time.

The Cork Jacket has a generous fitting and its windproof, waterproof and breathable featuring a fleece lined collar and detachable hood with zip. It has a two way zipper so it allows for ease of movement. The Mayo Jacket is bomber-style and it was created with performance in mind for rugged Irish weather.

Our Lisroe Wax Jackets for ladies will make you look sharp, slick and fabulous. The tailored fit is perfect for women who like to be warm but look absolutely stunning. Then finally Let us bring you back to a place you thought you had left forever with our Vintage Grandfather shirts which mirror traditional farm wear from Ireland, fadó, fadó, fadó.

So, from rugged outdoor jackets, vintage style tweeds to traditional Irish grandfather shirts, we are bringing it all up from Cork. See us in the Old Marquee at the National Ploughing Championship and visit our shop online. We can’t wait to see you all there!

Kverneland

This year at the Irish Ploughing Championships Kverneland Ireland are proud to present the McConnel Hedgecutter range in Stradbally. This year’s focus is on the New Variable forward reach telescopic  Pa 7285.

Modern tractor cabs increasingly place the operator ahead of the rear axle. Great for comfort, this position does nothing for visibility of the flailhead when hedge cutting or mowing verges. TELE-VFR (Telescopic-Variable Forward Reach) is designed to aid visibility from all types of cab and makes cutting around obstacles much easier, too.

Operated via McConnel’s Revolution joystick control, the new Tele-VFR is not only easier to master than conventionally controlled alternatives, but the control system also allows settings to be tailored to match the operators preference.

Sweet success – Teens bake their way to National Finals

The mixing bowls are being prepped, ovens are being heated and the eight finalists of the inaugural National Junior Baking Competition, sponsored by Aldi in association with Foróige and the NPA, are getting ready for their county colour showdown!

The qualifiers of The National Junior Baking Competition were held through Foróige youth clubs and projects nationwide. There were four regional finals held around the country, where 8 budding bakers were picked to go forward to the national semifinals. These semifinals will be held on the 22nd and 23rd of September in the Aldi Marquee at the 2015 National Ploughing Championships Ratheniska, Co. Laois. Two people will be picked on the 22nd, two more will be picked on the 23rd, and all four will go head to head in the final on the 24th of September, where one will become the inaugural National Junior Baking Champion!

The theme of the National Junior Baking Competition is ‘County Cakes’ and the judges are anticipating some amazing creations from the eight finalists. The finalists are as follows:

  • Eastern Region – Hannah Power from Newbridge, Co. Kildare

  • Eastern Region – Jenna Smyth from Gleneany, Co. Wicklow

  • Midlands Region – Eabha Campbell from Monaghan Town, Co. Monaghan

  • Midlands Region – Joanne Craddock from Cavan Town, Co. Cavan

  • Southern Region – Adi Canty from Listowel, Co. Kerry

  • Southern Region – Aine O’Mahoney from Kilbrittain, Co. Cork

  • Western Region – Jessica Rooney from Lacken, Co, Mayo

  • Western Region – Tara Mulryan from Moore, Co. Roscommon


The winner of the National Junior Baking Competition will win a trip for their local Foróige club or group to Delphi Adventure Centre in Co. Mayo. They will also win baking equipment to help them perfect their skills.

Sean Campbell, CEO of Foróige said, “This competition has offered our young members the chance to showcase their baking skills. The competition was fierce but we feel we have picked the best people to go forward and represent their local Foróige club in the finals at The National Ploughing Championships. It’s going to be a great few days and we hope to see lots of supporters in the Aldi Marquee cheering on these talented teens.”

Aldi Group Buying Director, Rob Farrell said, “At Aldi, we are thrilled to be sponsoring the National Junior Baking competition this year. The atmosphere in the Aldi marquee at the National Ploughing Championships is always one full of excitement, and we have no doubt that the junior bakers will add to it this year. At Aldi, we sell a range of great value baking essentials in our 116 stores nationwide, so these budding young bakers can continue making home baked goods all year round at the best value.”

Irish Angus Producer Group

Calves in the Classroom  – Finalists announced: Students to rear Irish Angus calves for Leaving Certificate 2017

22 September 2015: The Irish Angus Producer Group and its processor partners, ABP Ireland and Kepak Group, are delighted to announce the five finalist schools of the 2015 Certified Irish Angus Beef School Competition. The competition in its second year has become phenomenally popular with double the amount of schools applying in 2015 over 2014.

The competition is designed to encourage young people to study Agricultural Science for their Leaving Cert and give a strong basic understanding of farming for future life. It also offers a unique opportunity to students from outside the normal agricultural environment to gain an understanding and insight into what is involved in the production of their food.

Each finalist school will be presented with 5 Irish Angus Cross calves by Miriam O’Callaghan at a presentation held on the Irish Angus stand this evening 23 September at 5.00pm at the National Ploughing Championships joined by their school principal, teacher, their parents and families.

The calves will be taken home to the students’ family farms or to prearranged farms where they will be reared by the students for the next 18 months up to slaughter. Students will look after the animals and use the experience they gain in doing so to help in the completion of their Ag Science project and assist them in putting into practice the theory they will learn in the classroom.

The excitement of these young people is overwhelming and in particular with one group of 4 young ladies from Our Lady’s School, Terenure, Dublin 6W who have no former practical experience of livestock. These young ladies cannot wait to get the calves back to their school for a naming ceremony where they will introduce them to the entire school.

In total, there are 18 students involved from the following schools:

  • 2 girls from Presentation Secondary School, Loughboy, Co. Kilkenny
  • 4 girls from Our Lady’s School, Terenure, Dublin 6W
  • 3 boys from Ballymahon Vocational School, Ballymahon, Co. Longford
  • 4 girls, 1 boy from Colaiste Mhuire, Buttevant, Co. Cork
  • 4 Boys from Salesian Secondary College, Copsewood, Pallaskenry, Co. Limerick

A final presentation of the successful students’ projects will be made to a panel of Agricultural, Beef and Food Industry experts where an overall winner will be selected.  The students will make reports at set milestones through the lifetime of the animals and will visit farms, processing and retail facilities to gain an understanding of how each relies on the other. Students will benefit fully from the financial gain derived from the production of the cattle. One school will be chosen as the overall winner and receive an additional €2,000 payment towards their further education. The competition has a total prize fund of €15,000 per annum.

For more information please contact:

Irish Angus Producer Group, Longfield, Virginia, Co. Cavan

Tel: 046-9242541/2820; Email: info@angusproducergroup.com