The final day of the National Ploughing Championships is set to go ahead, despite cancellation rumours circulating this evening.
Anna Marie McHugh, from the National Ploughing Association (NPA), dispelled any rumours as she spoke with AgriLand’s Claire Mc Cormack during a ‘live stream’ broadcast from the ‘Ploughing’.
McHugh confirmed that the final day of the event would not be derailed, after heavy rain fell over the Screggan site for the majority of the day – causing floods in some areas.
“We have seen worse scenes than this altogether. Not perfect, obviously, but I think tomorrow is a good day, so we’re looking forward to it.
“We have a brilliant team and they’ll be here until the early hours of the morning carrying out remedial work to some of the trade areas and car parks,” she said.
The NPA’s Anna Marie McHugh confirms that the final day of the ‘Ploughing’ will go ahead
Some of the back-up car parks may need to be opened tomorrow morning as a result of the heavy rainfall, she added.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that a total of 87,000 people came through the gates during the second day of the event, which is significantly back on the same day last year – when 111,000 attended.
Yesterday evening it was revealed that a record-breaking crowd of 112,500 visited the opening day of this year’s National Ploughing Championships. The reduction in attendance today could be attributed to the poor weather conditions that were forecast.
The site of one of Europe’s largest outdoor events was subject to a weather warning issued by Met Eireann this morning, among other parts of the country.
Up to 35mm of rain was forecast to fall over the course of the day and night. The ‘Ploughing’ site received its fair share of those accumulations, with some sections of the walkways becoming flooded as the day went on.
Ponchos on offer at the various trade stands were quickly snapped up by visitors and seas of umbrellas floated around the site as people fought to stay dry.
Those not lucky enough to grab a poncho before stocks ran low could be seen darting from one stand to another in an effort to avoid the rain.
These weather conditions contrasted with the spells of sunshine that visitors to the event enjoyed yesterday (Tuesday, September 19).