Thursday, Molly, Nicole and I packed our wellies (rainboots), slickers (rainjackets), and brollies (umbrellas) and drove up to the 2012 National Ploughing Championships for the day! What in tarnation are the Ploughing Champs, you say? Check out the whole kit n’caboodle here: http://www.npa.ie/

If you were to take a gander at the schedule of events, you might find events like the following:

  • Welly Throwing (This actually means a bunch of people line up and throw their rainboots as far as they can. New Olympic event perhaps??)
  • Lamb Shearing Competitive Heats (Anyone for a wool sweater?)
  • Machine and Horse-drawn Ploughing (Gentlemen, start your ploughs)
  • Loy Digging (Yeahh…dig those loys!….what are loys?*)
  • Husqvarna Pole Climbing & Irish Axe Factor (I haven’t the slightest…)
What they didn’t include in the schedule of events is an event in which all Ploughing-goers take part known as the “mud walking”, where the task is simple: one solely must succeed in getting from point A to point B without losing his shoe in the squishy gunky stuff for the duration of the day. I think we all emerged victorious but here’s a video recap so you can see for yourselves:

We spent a while watching the ploughing with the machine and the horsies and trying to figure out why on Earth (haha, Earth) they were measuring the Earth.

This looks like a mechanical lobster. Or one of Clifford’s dog toys.

John Wayne’s brother from the country

Ploughing with the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Plough Horse

Two of my favorite things: horses and port-a-potties.
Actually, I take back that second one.

Probably about as easy to operate as a curling iron, wouldn’t ya say?

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Then we ploughed our way over to the butter making station and were really excited to watch a lady making her signature butter. Apparently in butter making school, each individual creates their own signature mark on the butter they package and this lady’s looked like an argyle sweater. Now every time I see argyle patterned things I’ll think of butter and will want to eat some. That’ll be good for the ol’ cholesterol. We were happy enough to just watch the process, but when she offered us our very own tupperware-full I thought, “well cover me in sugar and call me a donut!” Of course I’ll have some butter. I mean, if you’re forcing me….

BUTTER! (And it’s all for me…heh heh)

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Finally, after having visited the welly throwing station, the Diocese of Ferns tent, the free food stations, and the various shops selling who-knows-whats, we headed back home for some din. Then, as if we weren’t tuckered out from the day’s activities yet, we celebrated Mister Arthur Guinness’s Day by heading into town for some live music and, of course, some Guinness.

We joined the worldwide celebration on 27th Sept 2012

The best way to celebrate: pringle and a guinness

Toast. Slainte. Cheers. Prost. Salute. Sante…they all mean the same thing!

So a good T’ursday was had by all and some good butter will be had by me.

Ciao for now!

 

*This is what comes up when I type in “loys”…a furry, spikey, yellowish-greenish something. Now I’m kinda glad I didn’t volunteer to dig loys at the fair.