1. It’s near home. Unlike a visit to somewhere like Cape Canaveral or an Elvis tribute show in Las Vegas, you are never too far from the ploughing.
You can go to the ploughing and be home again that evening, for the cows. And if you are lucky enough, maybe the rosary too with your mother. 2.
It doesn’t cost a fortune to attend. While some will crib about the price of an entry fee, overall, it’s far less expensive than many other great days out. Virgin Galactic, for example, will charge you roughly €250,000 to go to space for a couple of seconds.
Likewise, if you want to visit the depths of the ocean to catch a glimpse of the Titanic, a ride in a submersible tub will also cost you about €250k. And indeed, it could cost you a lot more if you spring a leak. The ploughing event is as cheap as chips by comparison.
So cheap in fact, that you will literally still have enough left over for a nice tasty bag of chips during the day. That’s something that neither deep space nor the deep ocean can offer. 3.
Nobody ever complains about a shortage of tickets. Unlike a Taylor Swift concert where tickets are as precious as grass in the Burren, a ticket for the ploughing is never further than a phone call away. I have never known of anybody who was unable to attend the ploughing due to a shortage of tickets.
The ploughing event is so massive, so humungous that even if everyone in Ireland attended (which they almost do anyway), there would still be room at the Inn for a half dozen more. There will always be a welcome at the ploughing. 3.
It’s cool to go to the ploughing. While there’s no doubt that Celine Dion can sing her heart out, it takes a very brave man to say he’s a fan. Some things in life are better off left unsaid.
However, when it comes to the ploughing, it’s an outright brag to say that you love it. Indeed, it can be a badge of honour to say you attended. Keep Celine to yourself.
4. Religion does not play a huge part. Unlike the Pope’s visit to Ireland in ’79, or the moving statues of Ballinspittle in ’85, the ploughing is not all about saying your prayers and asking for forgiveness.
Granted, the ploughmen themselves might say a quick prayer before they begin, but beyond this it’s a prayer-free zone. The ploughing is all about letting your hair down (if you have any left) and shaking those hips to the sound of the beat (if the hips are up to it). There will be plenty of time for mass once you get home.
What happens at the ploughing championships stays in Ratheniska. In a way, it’s like Las Vegas — only with more rainfall. 5.
Toilets are very freely available. Unlike a Taylor Swift concert (again), where you might well have to go three hours before making your excuses, a portaloo visit is never more than a heartbeat away at the ploughing. You will be spoiled for choice, my friend, with the amount and variety on offer.
And better again, you will miss nothing when you are gone. For, unlike a game of football where it can be all over with the kick of a ball, at the ploughing, speed is the last thing on the agenda. Victory in ploughing comes from endurance.
It comes from years of extreme toil, rather than 60 seconds of luck, or brilliance. Relax and take your time. We will all still be here when you return.
6. It’s chock-a-block with celebrities. Forget about your Tom Cruise and would you go away with your Cate Blanchett.
If you want to meet and great real celebrities in the flesh, if you want to shake the hand and pat the back of your man from the telly, you will find there is no better place to go than the ploughing. They jet in from all parts (but mostly from Ireland, it has to be stressed) Marty, Daithi, Miriam, take your pick. Say hello and take a selfie.
Admittedly, at the ploughing, it can sometimes be hard to spot the celebrity depending on the prevailing wind or the flow of the mud. Unlike Hollywood, there is no walk of fame, only tracks of steel. But that’s what makes the ploughing all the more fun.
It’s down to earth in every way imaginable. 7. You will be able to witness ploughing.
Unlike The Rose of Tralee or the Grand Prix at Monte Carlo, the ploughing event is the only event that guarantees you the opportunity to witness ploughing. And what an opportunity it is! The best in the world are on show every year. Sure, racing cars go fast and beauty is a sight to behold, but at the end of the day, I’d much prefer to see Delaney’s horses plough a furrow any day rather than McLaren’s latest speed merchant.
There is nothing the Rose of Tralee can offer to compare with the beauty of a straight furrow. 8. It happens every year.
Unlike the Olympics which happens once every four years, or the Ice Age which occurs every million years or so, the ploughing is an annual event. It’s an annual event that showcases not only what our ploughing masters have to offer but also what rural life gives to one and all. It’s a natural annual event like no other, and that’s what makes it so truly wonderful.
.
