The National Ploughing Championships are painfully Irish. A celebration of all things farming, it would seem like a tasteless stereotype if we weren't in fact the ones organising it. It has everything, from an appearance from Michael D. himself, to tractors, to livestock, to whatever else is involved in farming (I'm just a humble city boy, read here). The only aspect of Irishness the festival can't provide on its own terms is absolutely dire qualities of rain. Thankfully the weather has duly obliged to complete the picture.
Spare a thought for the thousands of people who've taken the trip down to Tullamore, only for the venue to turn into something of a swamp that happens to be hosting a national festival. Much like the site itself, though admittedly more metaphorically, Twitter too has been flooded, with Tweets and videos of people documenting to mud-bath that the grounds have become. These brave souls however are soldiering on, determined to eke whatever good time they can manage from the deluge they find themselves subjected to. With the amount of rain that's fallen it's safe to assume that this is perhaps some curse from the heavens, a sign from god that he really, really is not a fan of people assembling on mass to celebrate all things farming, though that is just a theory.
There are apparently path closures due to flooding; cars trapped in car parks; queues in the rain from shuttle buses breaking down, in general, it seems like a poor time all round.
Stock photo by any chance? #Ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/KiUERyrZnX
— Ivan Santry (@ivansantry) September 20, 2017
Umbrellas and rain ponchos...de riguer fashion items for #ploughing17 day2 pic.twitter.com/0GuzDarusl
— Joe Mag Raollaigh (@joemagraollaigh) September 20, 2017
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@aibrenn now finding the going tough at #ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/Lzym3ruW1B
— Denis O'Donovan (@odonovandenism) September 20, 2017
Limited 'opportunities' to get into the Fine Gael tent due to flooding at #Ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/o1rtTqfwYm
— Kevin Doyle (@KevDoyle_Indo) September 20, 2017
Just in case your wondering what the weather is like at #Ploughing17 .. It's damp and we have some impromptu lakes pic.twitter.com/gIJji6CH2s
— Agriland (@AgrilandIreland) September 20, 2017
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Shuttle bus broken down at #Ploughing17, long line in the rain, no one moving...last time I'll take @NPAIE parking advice! pic.twitter.com/QzkXw3i3rs
— Francis X Kennedy (@FXKennedy) September 20, 2017
The rain keeps coming at #Ploughing17 @SeanMoncrieff @NewstalkFM pic.twitter.com/qIIyEMLBvi
— Henry McKean (@HenryMcKean) September 20, 2017
The ground is literally disappearing in Screggan! #Ploughing17 traffic pic.twitter.com/WHJJXbrd3F
— Longford Leader (@Longford_Leader) September 20, 2017
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The tractors are pulling cars out of some of the car parks at #Ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/2AheSPJGMc
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) September 20, 2017
Warning ⚠️ roadway flooded! #Ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/tkiFtmIIZ1
— Farm Tours Ireland (@FarmToursIre) September 20, 2017
Lots of pushing needed to get people out of the parking at #ploughing17 after heavy rain. Best of luck to the owner of that poolside BMW! pic.twitter.com/YEnehylXO9
— Gerard Brady (@GerardBrady100) September 20, 2017
I came to visit @IrishAubrac but it seems it's a bit wet!! #ploughing17 pic.twitter.com/seqfoKUaPH
— Shane McAuliffe (@ShaneMcAuliffe1) September 20, 2017
The rain's supposed to get worse through the evening, but thankfully it's set to clear overnight and be relatively dry tomorrow. So plough away my dear friends, plough away.
