The recent double success at the World Ploughing Contest for the Republic of Ireland team has again confirmed the country’s reputation as “true ploughing masters”.
The 69th championships, held in Estonia, saw Eamonn Tracey from Co. Carlow crowned world champion in the conventional class for the third consecutive year and Cork man Jer Coakley claim the reversible world champion title.
The historic result means that Ireland has now retained the conventional and reversible world titles for three years in a row.
The Republic of Ireland were coached this year by Wexford man Michael Roche, with the group spending two weeks training in Estonia ahead of the championships.
Also travelling with the contingent to the World Contest was Larry Bergin from south Tipperary who was a judge.
Ploughing
The newly crowned world champions returned home to a hero’s welcome in Dublin Airport earlier this week.
Speaking with Agriland, Eamonn Tracey, who has now won six world titles since 2014, said he was delighted with the result.
“I do have to pinch myself at times. I’ve been at every world contest since 2012 and have been on the podium every year, in either first, second or third,” he said.
The Garryhill man had to work hard for the overall title this year as he lay in joint fourth position following the initial day of the competition.
He stressed the importance of a positive mindset when it comes to the World Ploughing Contest.
“I was a little bit disappointed after the first day, just didn’t get the luck of the draw, drew a little bit tougher ground on the first day, but I made the best of it.
“The secret in world ploughing is it is a two-day contest and never give up because it’s all to play for again the second day,” he said.
Things went a lot better than Eamonn even hoped on the second day when he won by a large margin, resulting in him jumping to the top of the podium.
Following a hat trick of double wins at the World Ploughing Contest, he said that “ploughing in Ireland is literally at the top of the world at the minute”.
“The rest of the ploughing world are scratching their heads, wondering, what are they going to do about the Irish, but that’s their problem, not ours,” he said.
There will not be much time for Eamonn to rest on his laurels as he prepares to defend his title at the National Ploughing Championships in Co. Laois in mid-September.
He is also part of the team who will be marking out over 390 plots for the event in the coming weeks.
While there will be plenty to do on the farm he runs with his son Sean which includes tillage, rearing replacement dairy heifers, along with contracting work.
Jer Coakley, who is a drystock and tillage farmer and also runs a contracting business near Clonakilty, told Agriland that it was “a great experience” in Estonia.
The reigning European champion had a commanding performance on his Ford tractor winning on both the grassland and stubble fields in the reversible class.
“Things went well for us from the start, even in practice we were going good. We had a great team with us with Larry Bergin judging and Mick Roche as our coach.
“It was my second time competing, but I hadn’t competed with 12 years in the World [Ploughing] Contest. I had a great man with me in Eamonn, he’s very experienced in the whole thing,” he said.
Jer said that the conditions in his ploughing plots in Tartu were very favourable with good soil and no stones.
Similar to Eamonn, Jer ‘s attention will now turn to the National Ploughing Championships.
“The competition is nearly stiffer there than it is in some of these world contests. We’re ploughing against the best in the world here, that’s how our standard is so high here in Ireland,” he said.
Jer paid tribute to the National Ploughing Association (NPA) for organising the trip to Estonia, including transporting the tractors.
Masters
Congratulations have been flooding in for Eamonn and Jer from all over the country and across the globe.
Anna May McHugh, managing director of the NPA, said that “this is a fantastic win for both men, Irish ploughing and Ireland as a whole”.
“Since winning the nationals last year the competitors have been working hard on preparing for the worlds in Estonia and all their effort has paid off.
“They have done their country extremely proud,” she said.
General secretary of the World Ploughing Organisation, Anna Marie McHugh added: “Ireland have always been highly respected internationally in terms of producing ploughmen to compete on the world stage.
“Another great result for the country and Ireland’s global reputation as true ploughing masters in their field.”
The Republic of Ireland team and the supporting delegation was sponsored again this year by Kverneland.