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THE ORGANISERS OF the National Ploughing Championships have announced that this year’s event has been cancelled.
Anna Marie McHugh of National Ploughing confirmed the news on Today With Sean O’Rourke this morning.
The 89th championships were due to take place in Carlow from 15-17 September, but have been postponed until next year instead.
“In the interest of public health and safety it just wasn’t an option,” McHugh said.
“The writing was on the wall for us… there is nothing that [Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan] is saying that would make us think we had any other option.
“When you think of the Leaving Cert being in question and the GAA in question, and all of those things, the association would never be able to live with the risk that we had brought a second wave of the disease in to Carlow and into the region.
“That is not something that we would want to be responsible for.”
It is the second time in three years that the annual event has been disrupted.
The second day of the 2018 championships were cancelled after Storm Ali damaged much of the site in Co Offaly, leading organisers to add an extra day to the event.
Commenting on the cancellation of this year’s championships, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Pat Kenny on Newstalk: “It’s a pity but not unexpected.”
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“Keep shaking hands and pretend you’re a good man” from her has been by far the best line I’ve heard in all the coverage from both elections. It completely sums up how most of us feel about politicians in 2024
@Louis Jacob: Gordon Brown didn’t recover from a similar situation. Will it be the same for 15th count Simon Harris? His constituents knew the last time he done nothing for them. Maybe now he will get his first real world job. Well done to Charlotte Fallon.
@F1rYnpWc: It has definitely halted their gallop. The optics were as bad as you could get. It looked awful. There’s a bit of fatigue generally towards activists I think. Care and learning disability activists are the exception. We all know someone who’s a carer and struggling for any kind of recognition from the state.
@F1rYnpWc: if Charlotte Fallon was on the ballot paper as an independent…. she’d definitely get my #1……. more backbone & liatheroidies in 30seconds that the rest of em’ in a lifetime on the gravy train
@Louis Jacob: “If you don’t think I’m a good man then thank you” lololol what an absolute loser
@FlipBip: lol
@F1rYnpWc: Fianna Fail will win the most seats
@Louis Jacob: Fianna Fail will win the most seats
FG are cruising to victory :)
@FlipBip: reminds me of the movie magadline laundries some years back, after the girl said you’re not a man of God, you’re not a man of god after being abused, well Simon showed he is not a nice man, it’s wasn’t even what he said for me, but the aggressive turn towards her. A different side of the alter boy.
Let’s do better for Carers, for Disability Services, for public Childcare, for Ordinary Workers, and for homeownership instead of foreign fund-ownership of housing. We have a chance to change who the government is lead by for the first time. Vótáil Sinn Féin.
@F1rYnpWc: A vote for anyone but FF or FG would send a strong message of how struggling people truly feel. Not even a last preference should be given to them, just leave the box blank.
Fairplay Larry for coming out with your meaningless ramblings……. many thought you’d have given up the ghost after your predictions of kamila’s landside victory on Nov 5th….. that really worked out well,lol
Housing, cost of living, and an uncontrolled/unplanned immigration policy seem to be the main issues that I can see. There are others of course, lots of others, but these seem to be in most people’s top5 that I’ve chatted to.
No party, from what I can see, will fix this.
Just waffle and meaningless manifestos in order to try to swindle another 4 years of wasting taxpayer funds. One of the big issues I see now with our disastrous immigration policy is in schools. I have 3 children in school. 2 in primary. I’ve had to move them out of the primary school in town because their education is suffering due to the massive influx of non English speaking migrants. And I’m just one of many in our town. I’m not blaming Teachers or immigrants here. This is government failure. Plain and simple.
@JP Fox: Spot on post, all parties in Dail Eirinn, the Coalition Govt & Opposition have done what Harris did to Charlotte, failed to listen to the ordinary people. The Referendums proved this, all Political Parties bar Aontu & also all in Irish MSM, failed to listen, they dictated to the people & the people saw through it & voted on it. This was a red flag moment for all in Dail Eirinn & in our MSM, but they did as they have done for years, dismissed, pontificated, abandoned & showed complete disdain for the Irish people. They all forgot the bread & butter issues, none of them will solve Immigration, Health, Cost of Living or Housing, young people & their parents are deeply anger & frustrated. With no hope on the Horizon, the lid is going to blow off this country very, very soon.
For one who entered politics as a concern for his sibling. It defises credibility that the Taoiseach couldn’t even refer to 12 euro increase for carers. Sad.
@Charles J O’Connor: he entered politics for a job. He’s a career politician. Never had a real job.
@Charles J O’Connor: all politicians continue to allow the gap to widen between pensioners on a full pension both contributory & welfare pensioners and those on a reduced pension due to the introduction of the BONKERS PENSION SYSTEM IN 2013. When the 12 euro increase comes into play in January 2025allow the gap to widen between pensioners on a full pension both contributory & welfare pensioners and those on a reduced pension due to the introduction of the BONKERS PENSION SYSTEM IN 2013. When the 12 euro increase comes into play in January 2025
A shadow election
We are not allowed discuss the most important issue – potentially millions of asylum seekers & refugees coming into the country to claim free accommodation and change our society forever
Also, our appalling & unaccountable bureaucracy and public services
And the national embarrassment of our city centre
My apologies for my racist hate speech
@Gerry Kelly: it’s not racist hate speech because what you said is true, we need a government willing to do the right thing and that is a properly controlled immigration system that is safe and fair because what we have now is insane.
And the novice duracell bunny is falling flat!
The buzz & glam fizzes out like a burst balloon.
We need substance, not flash imagery.
15 years of gunthering political leadership has not put the people of the state in a sound social order.
And I dont see voting options to give me any confidence.
Charlotte Fallon will be forever remembered as the woman who brought FG to its knees. She destroyed the elitist party in seconds
@N D K: yes, Fianna Fail will win the most seats
@Tired Jim: at this time of day, I would prefer a bed to a seat..
@N D K: lol
@N D K: it’s amazing when speaking the truth as she did, with passion. That’s what carers are passionate about their jobs,
Home carers do this 24/7 365.
Yet they are on the time clock every day from these private companies, rushing from job to job another failure of fffg. They privatised care. Making millions off the likes of Charlotte while she struggles on minimum wage cause most carers only earn the basic wage.
Fianna Fáil will likely go begging Sinn Féin, many have no time for alleged Republican party, who never actually turned Ireland into a Republic in its true sense. Can’t see tye members of Sinn Féin voting favourably for this and if it happens, a lot will drop their membership because the vast majority of this country has been negatively affected by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour, sone lost their youth because of them supporting bankers who gambled, failed and yet got paid put by the majority, as John Bruton, Fine Gael created the Celtic Tiger but his claim that they would have been able to manage it better is shown not to be true.
@Brian D’Arcy: In fact, their proposed policies in opposition during the boom years were even more reckless than FF.
@Brian D’Arcy: No way FF will go knocking on SF’s door as long as Martin is in charge. Whatever about him saying the same about FG, I just don’t see it. Can’t see him contesting the next election though, I’d say this is his last. There’s plenty in both parties who would hold their noses, but we’re a few years off that yet I think.
@Brian D’Arcy: sk um fein will be out in the cold as usual. Hunger strike is the only option lol
This election is taking place in an Ireland that has possibly peaked. The chances of exchequer revenue experiencing a steep plunge is being overlooked. There is no reason that the wealth created by foreign companies must continue. President elect Musk’s plans for America are chaotic and will directly affect here. Our candidates should warn the electorate of very grave dangers ahead and not be pretending that all will remain rosy.
@JP: of course it will….its time we started looking after ourselves instead of looking at multi nationals to look after us….there was always a time where america will start to look after themselves and we missed the boat here we should of been looking to be self sufficient instead of having other countries look after us ref jobs….nobody in power ever had this country at heart…always to look good on the international stage and this place is falling apart and they dont care just aslong they on the gravy train
Bigger is their €5bn hole in their manifesto plan. That on top of their fiscal space fiasco at last election – it’s no wonder we’re still paying USC sure when they’ve mismanaged our finances so we now have €230bm owed not €110bn when Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil took over.
Mr Donnelly, none of what is being said these days makes sense. You included.
New Epoch incoming …
From backdoor leadership to black hole leadership , black is the new brown
This time next week, “normal” order shall resume….more’s the pity!!! The same shhhh show shall maintain the status quo & we’ll have to suck it up :/
Time to boot this lot out. Zero accountability for our hard earned taxes. And after decades in power, the most vulnerable are still begging for the most basic services.. a roof on a school, a medical card for some disabled people, a carers allowance for every carer… I’ll be voting SF and I used to support both FF and FG. A decade of caring for my sister with zero help has opened my eyes. I’ll be voting SF.
Fix the bleedin roads our infrastructure is crumbling
why is Donnelly giving his view on the Irish election? he couldnt remotely gauge the US election from a balanced perspective or try to figure out why regular Americans backed the Orange lad in such numbers!? Swing states me h*** – most of rural ireland backed Fianna fail /fg in the locals and hopefully after Simon jusy showed the true self I always could see him to be there will be a decent drop in that. then again, better not to trust the Irish electorate to do the right thing at least 80% of the time
‘Donnelly has had successes’ needed the bit of light relief before bed thanks!! Hes a snivelling, dishonest turncoat who abandoned any real principle many a moon ago
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