Attendance at the National Ploughing Championships in Ballacolla, Co Laois next month may well exceed the 100,000 visitors who traditionally turn up for the three-day event.
This year there have been higher than expected turnouts at agricultural and other rural events despite, or perhaps because of the horrendous weather, according to Ms Anna Marie McHugh, press officer for the event.
Ms McHugh, daughter of Ms Anna May McHugh, the managing director of the National Ploughing Association, said that preparations were already well advanced for the event, to be held on September 24th, 25th and 26th.
"We are not speculating about the turnout at all but this year, crowds have been up at agricultural shows, perhaps because people are so fed up with the bad weather and the gloom that they want a bit of relaxation," she said.
"There will also be a bit of extra interest this year in so far as we had to cancel last year because of the foot-and-mouth crisis."
There was already a need for additional accommodation in the area because all available hotel and guesthouse accommodation had been booked out, some of it from two years ago.
"We had a meeting last night and we are now appealing to private home owners to come forward if they wish to offer beds to visitors," she said.
There is huge commercial interest in the event, the largest ploughing competition in the world and one of Europe's largest outdoor events. It costs €1.5 million to stage.
Already 600 trade exhibitors have booked to take part in the event held on a 500-acre site on the farm of David and Heather Lalor.
"We have one major exhibitor coming from New Zealand this year and many of the stands have been taken by overseas exhibitors," Ms McHugh said.
She noted a big increase in holiday and leisure-related stands anxious to get the attention of the rural population in what has been a very hard season.
Trying also to get the attention of the public prior to the Nice Treaty will be some of the main political organisations, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats.
There has also been a big demand for space from the farm machinery sellers.
They are particularly keen on the event because it allows them hold practical demonstrations for potential customers.
There will also be 21 ploughing competitions catering for men, women and underage competitors using equipment from vintage tractors, horses to the sophisticated reversible ploughs towed by modern tractors.
The prize in the ploughing competitions is worth €45,000 in cash and equipment.
There will also be a livestock exhibition featuring native and imported farm stock and, for the horse lover, a 32-county inter-hunt chase.
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, will be among the visitors to the site with many of his Ministers, including the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh.