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04 Apr 2026
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04 Apr 2026
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Tom Pender ploughing in the 2 furrow vintage class at the South Laois ploughing match on the lands of Henry and Linda Whiteford at Capponellan, Durrow. Picture: Alf Harvey.
The chair of the Irish Vintage Society, Laois man Tom Pender from Killeshin, is looking forward to meeting the public and some of the society's 7,000 members, at their complimentary site in the 2024 National Ploughing Championships this week.
He spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live at the pre-launch on site in Ratheniska on September 3.
“We will have 70 exhibits, displaying all the things that fellas have been restoring all year, to show our heritage. We have 7,000 members in 120 or 130 clubs around Ireland.
“We are given a space at the ploughing. It's one of the best weekends of the year,” Tom said.
While vintage farm equipment plays a big part, there is a lot more to view.
“We have a lot more younger members now. People want to know how their granny and grandad did things. When you go to a show like here, young people want to see all the heritage, like how we used to make butter,” he explained.
Members of the Irish Vintage Society at the launch of the 2024 National Ploughing Championships.
The IVS chair is delighted to be a part of the ploughing, led by fellow Laois person Anna May McHugh, at the helm of the National Ploughing Association for 51 years.
“Anna May is some woman. It's some organisation, one of the biggest shows in Europe.
“It's a privilege to be here, and we invite all people to come along.
“It's a great chance for people from up the country where the ploughing never goes, to see the ploughing and see what goes on,” Tom said.
The Irish Vintage Society are proud to be main sponsor of the European vintage ploughing event at the National Ploughing championships.
The National Ploughing Championships take place from Tuesday to Thursday, September 17 to 19.
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