Remarks by President McAleese at the Opening of the 54th World Ploughing Championship, Grangeford
Remarks by President McAleese at the Opening of the 54th World Ploughing Championship, Grangeford, Tullow, Co. Carlow
Is onóir dom bheith i bhur measc inniú ag an ócaid speisialta seo. Tá mé buíoch díbh as an cuireadh a thug sibh dom.
Good afternoon, everybody.
It is my great pleasure to be here at Grangeford to open the 2006 World Ploughing Championship. The National Ploughing Championships is by now an annual event on my calendar. This year, however, is very special. The National Ploughing Championships celebrates its 75th Anniversary and as a very welcome birthday present, we have the privilege in Ireland of playing host to the World Ploughing Contest, a great honour for our country.
I wish our many visitors the traditional céad míle fáilte – one hundred thousand welcomes – to Ireland. So many people have travelled from abroad competitors, exhibitors, supporters and visitors alike. We are happy to have you with us and hope you enjoy both the Ploughing and the Irish hospitality.
I also want to express a huge ‘Thank You’ to the people who make it possible here, our hosts the Nolan and Byrne families, and the neighbouring farmers who have provided the additional land facilities. They have opened their doors in that spirit of generosity shown by so many people involved in the ploughing championships through the years and a vital part of its phenomenal success story.
This event is the culmination of a tremendous team effort by the entire community here in Grangeford. The vast scale and magnificent layout of the site is testimony to that effort and commitment and it is truly a fitting venue for a World Championships. To the huge number of people who made it so – among them local residents, clubs and rural organisations, Carlow Tourism, An Gárda Síochána, Carlow County Council, together with the National Ploughing Association – we say, take pride in what you have achieved and thank you for what you have achieved.
In particular we thank the National Ploughing Association, and the name that stands above all others, the amazing Anna May McHugh. No doubt Anna May played an integral role in securing the competition for Ireland in her role as the Irish representative on the World Ploughing Board. Congratulations Anna May and to your dedicated team at the NPA on yet another incredible effort. The energy, commitment and vision you bring to our legendary National Event have now been replicated on the World Stage.
Each year the Ploughing championships captivate Irish people in their tens of thousands. They come no matter what the weather, they do business and they have a ball. Thomas Jefferson (the third President of the United States) said, “The plough is to the farmer what the wand is to the sorcerer”. I am sure you wish farming was as easy as waving a wand. We know it is not, and that it calls for the deepest level of commitment, the longest hours and a love of this vocation which is the very hearth of our country, the heart of our people. That love of land and country, that stewardship for the environment and for food systems, is shared with farming communities across the world and thirty of them are represented here at these World Ploughing Championships. I hope that the competitors and their supporters will feel at home here and whatever about trophies, I hope they will return home with a treasury of happy memories.
We in Ireland know the great pride that comes from producing a world champion. Charlie Keegan from Wicklow put Ireland on the map back in 1964, and of course, Wexford’s famous Martin Kehoe brought the World Trophy back home in 1994, 1995 and 1999. John Treacey too has finished in 2nd place a remarkable 5 times including last year in Prague. We’ll be praying for Irish luck for his son Eamonn and for Cork’s Liam O’Driscoll who have the honour of representing our country.
My thanks to the organising Committee for the invitation to open the 2006 World Ploughing Championships. Enjoy the fun, the friendship and the skill.
Go raibh maith agaibh arís as ucht an cuireadh chun bheith anseo, agus go n-éirí go geal libh go léir.