'It's a tight-knit group' - Meet Tipperary ploughman chasing gold at Ploughing 2026

A Tipperary farmer and longstanding member of the North Tipperary Ploughing Association is set to take to the field at this week’s National Ploughing Championships, continuing a family tradition that has spanned generations.

Tom Duffy, from Lorrha and Dorrha in north Tipperary, will compete in the Junior A class at this year’s championships.

Tom, who farms livestock and sucklers, is also a teacher at Gurteen Agricultural College in Ballingarry, where he works with students on a range of practical farming skills.

“I do a lot of health and safety surrounding machinery, chemicals, pesticides, things like that,” he explained.

“We do some of the workshop skills with the students as well. We train with quads and stuff, generally stuff that young farmers will need to get a good start here.”

His work also involves grassland machinery, grass care and grassland management, with a strong focus on ensuring students learn how to operate machinery and carry out farm tasks safely.

Tom’s involvement in competitive ploughing goes back decades, having first competed in the early 1990s.

“I even ploughed with horses, but that was only just to keep my father happy,” he said, describing his early involvement as an effort to keep the family tradition alive.

Ploughing is very much a family affair for Tom, with his grandfather, father and uncles all having been involved in the association before him.

The tradition has now continued into the next generation, with his son, Rob, also becoming involved.

Rob has qualified for the All Ireland Championships in the past two years, although he did not qualify this year and is currently in Arizona on a college placement, working during the harvest season.

Tom himself took a break from competitive ploughing around the time he was getting married, when time became difficult to find alongside farming and family commitments.

He returned to the sport around 12 years ago and has since enjoyed considerable success, picking up silver medals in the Junior A class in both 2018 and 2023.

Now, he is hoping that a gold medal might eventually be within reach, although he admits this year's preparations have not been ideal.

“I'd be happy if I could pull it off at some stage, but I can't see it happening just this year,” he said.

The demands of farming and teaching mean that finding enough time to prepare for the championships can be challenging.

The spring and summer months are particularly busy for livestock farmers, with calving, feeding and other farm work competing for their time.

Tom said the best preparation normally comes from competing in county championship matches throughout the spring, but this year he has not had as much time as he would have liked.

Despite that, he remains committed to helping other members of the North Tipperary Ploughing association prepare for the championships.

In particular, he has been helping a younger member who will compete at the All Ireland for the first time this year.

The young plougher qualified through North Tipperary's novice competition, an event designed specifically to encourage newcomers to get involved in competitive ploughing.

“We run a novice match. Some people that never have ploughed in a competition before,” Tom explained.

“We dedicate a day to them in competition style. The best of that competition go forward to plough in the All Ireland.”

For Tom, encouraging new competitors is vital to ensuring the tradition continues into the future.

“At least we have a novice going forward. A lot of counties don't. It's the only way the tradition is going to be kept going.”

The North Tipperary Ploughing Association now has more than 40 members, with around 10 to 12 competitors taking part across the different classes at county level.

The association also plays an important role in supporting ploughing competitions across neighbouring counties, with members travelling to competitions in places including Offaly, Laois, Westmeath, Clare, Kildare and Kerry.

Tom said the commitment of members who are willing to travel is an important part of keeping the county competitions going.

For those involved, ploughing is about much more than competition.

Tom describes the community surrounding the sport as a “tight knit” group, where friendships are maintained year after year.

“It’s a great circle of friends and comrades in it,” he said.

“Genuinely, you meet people, and you might meet them only at that part of the year from one year to the next, but it's the same as you're meeting them every day.”

While the competitors are certainly competitive when they enter the field, Tom said there is a strong sense of camaraderie among those involved.

“You'll never be stuck or broke down when you're in a plough field,” he said. “There’s always someone on hand, and that's what it's about.”

Tom will compete in the Junior A class on Thursday.

While he may be cautiously realistic about his chances of taking home gold this year, his focus remains on doing his best, supporting his fellow Tipperary competitors and enjoying the community that has kept him returning to the field for so many years.

“We go with the expectation of doing well, and if we do well, we're happy enough,” he said.