Nine to plough for Westmeath at the 2011 championships

Eilís RyanIn just three weeks' time, hundreds of thousands will trek and traipse around a massive farm in Athy for the 80th annual National Ploughing Championships, watching not just ploughing, but displays, demonstrations, talks and the other activities that make going to this event for most farmers.Down at the National Ploughing Association headquarters near Athy, the doyenne of the team behind the championships, Anna Mae McHugh - and her equally driven daughter, Anne-Marie and the rest of the team - are putting the final details in place to ensure the thousands who compete, exhibit, demonstrate, participate, and spectate, all enjoy the event.The nine Westmeath people who are to represent this area in various classes are ensuring their equipment is at its best, and they have everything arranged.Those going are Gerard Evans, Ballynacargy, who is taking part in the vintage two-furrow mounted plough class; Raymond Halpin, Castlepollard, U28 conventional plough at senior level; Andrew Ennis, Collinstown, the three-furrow conventional match plough; Christy Carton, Garryduff, Kilbeggan, intermediate conventional ploughing; Paul Daly, Kilbeggan, junior conventional class; Brendan Halpin, Castlepollard, the Macra two-furrow conventional class, and, all taking part in the loy competition, Jonathan Rule, Shirley Lamont and Terence Moore, from Finea.For Paul Daly, travelling to the ploughing as a competitor is an annual event: "I ploughed in 1983 - my first All-Ireland - and I've only missed one since then," the Kilbeggan-based county councillor revealed. In 1990, he won the junior title but points out that it's not the only title that has gone to Kilbeggan: just last year, Christy Carton won the junior ploughing, and is therefore at the higher, intermediate, level this year; and in the past, Jimmy Evans won a number of all-Irelands, going on to represent Ireland in Wales.The difficulty for ploughmen is that it's not always that easy to get a chance to practice if they are not tillage farmers - the position that Paul and some of the others find themselves in. "There will be a ploughing match in Offaly the weekend prior to the championships, and we will use that for practice," he says.So what are the judges looking for as they check the work of the ploughmen? "There are time constraints, you have to do a particular ara in an allotted time, and within that they would be looking for straightness, neatness; that you turn all the grass: it's all about preparation of a good and proper seed bed, with no grass and no weeds."Trying to achieve a similar feat, but without the benefit of tractor or horse, and relying solely on the strength of their own arms, the firmness of their own legs, and the quality of their spades will be those in the loy competition.Tom Egan from Castlepollard is chairman of the Loy Association of Ireland - part of the reason there is such interest in loy ploughing around north Westmeath.The loy is a particular kind of spade designed for ploughing, and since the association was set up in 1992, from the initial four counties involved, there are now 15.Getting behind a spade and digging a field is tough going, Tom avers. "It's not easy work, but anyone who starts at it, sticks at it," he says. "It's a great attraction: you have to turn out these lazy beds, which involves about three hours' digging."To be good at loy ploughing needs a lot of practice: "Anyone that can use a spade at all can do it - but to do it really well, for competitions, you need a lot of practice," he says. "Appearance-wise, when it's done, a nice plot, it appears like a work of art. You have to be a fit person, and it takes a lot of muscle work."Westmeath is a leading light in loy circles: Terry Moore - who is competing again this year - is an all Ireland title holder, while his wife, Mary, the same year, won the ladies title; and Paddy Boyhan is another All-Ireland winner.Tom is a great loy enthusiast, and just recently, at his garage in Castlepollard, turned out 10 loys aimed at younger competitors in a bid to attract interest from U14 and U16 competitors."They have to be made of ash - just like a hurley stick - because there's no other timber that will do. It has to be flexible and durable timber."• The National Ploughing Championships take place from September 20 to 22.