Secretary of the Longford Ploughing Association thrilled to see the ploughing return to his home soil

A proud Ballymahon man, Longford Ploughing Association secretary of the past three years, John Maye is thrilled that the County Ploughing Championships are returning to his native soil this Sunday for the first time since 2012.

John explained, “There’s lots to do in the three or four weeks before the event but we have great volunteers and great members and everyone digs in and does what has to be done to make the day a good day.”

He highlighted what attendees can expect in Ballymahon. “We have the ploughing itself, horse ploughing, vintage ploughing, loy digging and of course the celebrity ploughing. There’s a wide array of trade stands, from machinery to small local companies selling their goods.”

For those who’d like to take part, but aren't adept with a plough or loy, there are plenty of other competitions. “There’s a dog show, we have jiving competitions, we have Four Degrees West, a local band playing all day.”

John and the Longford Ploughing Association committee members are hoping for some good weather for this year's ploughing weekend, especially after the difficulty the weather posed for last year's event.

Also Read: PICTURES | Countdown is on to eagerly awaited County Longford Ploughing Championships

The weather was furthest from John’s mind as he spent the closing months of 2024 in Australia. “I was out there for three months, I was eight hours north west of Sydney working on a combine and it was a great experience.”

John took a trip to New Zealand while he was there and happened to meet many Longford people. He is now back in Ballymahon and is excited to see the Ploughing championships come back to his home town.

“My farm is a couple of miles outside Ballymahon and I’m doing a bit of farming at home with my father and I’m working locally as an agricultural contractor as well.”

John is no stranger to getting involved with his community. For the past few years he has been actively involved in the Abbeyshrule Christmas Lights Tractor Run although he had to miss the 2024 event on account of being in Australia.

Also Read: Longford councillors divided on the problem of Providers

P&J Finnegan Car Sales are the main sponsors of the 2025 County Longford Ploughing Championships. “I'd like to thank the site owners, the Delaney family for allowing us on their farm for the day, and our main sponsors, Tracey and James Finnegan of P&J Finnegan Car Sales. I'd like to thank them especially, and all the sponsors and all the people that help us and the committee members and all the members of Longford Ploughing,” remarked John.

Simon Casey and his band will perform at the Queen of the Plough presentation dance, on Saturday, April 19, in The Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule.

John revealed, “There is a farmerette class at the Longford Ploughing, and the winner of that qualifies as Queen of the Plough and will go on to represent Longford at the National Ploughing Championships. It’s a recognition of the farmerette and all the other competition winners will be presented their trophies on the day as well.”

He concluded, “Ballymahon is the place to be on Sunday and we look forward to seeing you there.”