The 95th Irish Ploughing Championships took place at Screggan, Offaly, from 15–17 September, featuring over 350 competitors and large crowds from Ireland and the EU. The event juxtaposed traditional practices like loy digging and horse-drawn ploughs with cutting-edge technology — drones, robots and autonomous tractors. Manitou’s battery-powered MLT 625e was named Machine of the Year, and a restored Porsche tractor by school students helped raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland. The show also highlighted challenges such as rising costs and an ageing farming workforce, underscoring the need to combine heritage skills with innovation.
Tradition Meets Tech: Inside the 95th Irish Ploughing Championships
From horse-drawn ploughs to autonomous tractors at Ireland’s ploughing show
The 95th Irish Ploughing Championships were held at Screggan, near Tullamore in County Offaly, from 15 to 17 September, attracting more than 350 competitors and tens of thousands of visitors from Ireland and across the EU.
Tradition and Heritage
Traditional horse-drawn ploughs and beautifully restored vintage machinery shared the fields with modern farming kit. Veteran farmers gave live demonstrations of loy digging, the distinctive Irish technique of turning soil by hand with a narrow spade. A restored Porsche tractor, prepared and displayed by students from Mercy Secondary School in Ballymahon, drew particular attention as part of a charity raffle raising funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland.
Technology and the Future of Farming
The show also highlighted the future of agriculture. Drones, robots and autonomous tractors underscored the growing role of automation and precision farming on Irish and European farms. Manitou's MLT 625e — a battery-powered compact telehandler — was named Machine of the Year after judges concluded it matched the dimensions, lifting capacity and performance of comparable diesel models, marking a significant step for electrification in farm machinery.
Context and Challenges
The championships came as Irish and wider European farmers contend with rising input costs and an ageing workforce. Exhibits and discussions at the event emphasized the need to blend traditional skills and local knowledge with new technologies to boost productivity, sustainability and farm resilience.
Scale and Atmosphere
Often described as Europe’s largest outdoor event, the Irish Ploughing Championships typically draw between 250,000 and 300,000 visitors over three days, temporarily transforming the rural site in Offaly into one of the country’s most densely populated areas. The mix of competitions, hands-on demonstrations, trade stands and family-focused attractions created a lively atmosphere that celebrated both heritage and innovation.
Highlights:
- 350+ competitors and tens of thousands of visitors from across the EU
- Manitou MLT 625e named Machine of the Year (battery-powered telehandler)
- Demonstrations of loy digging and classic horse-drawn ploughing
- Students' restored Porsche tractor raised funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland
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