The National Ploughing Championships, which are being held in conjunction with the World Ploughing Contest in Carlow later this month, will be the largest held so far in this country.
Details were announced yesterday on the 600-acre site at Danesfort, near Tullow, Co Carlow, where more than 150,000 people are expected from September 27th-30th.
In terms of scale, it is Europe's largest agricultural gathering, with some 13 acres of steel trackway being laid down to accommodate the 800 trade and exhibition stands that will be in place over the four days.
Car parking will take up 300 acres, while 450 acres will be used to accommodate the 327 competitors from 28 countries.
The event will be officially opened by Minister for Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will pay a visit on the Friday. The world prizes will be presented on the final day by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen.
Traditionally, the leaders of all the political parties attend the event, which attracts people from all over the country and a growing number of from abroad.
The opening of the World Ploughing Contest will be performed on Wednesday by President Mary McAleese, who canvassed the event when seeking the presidential post.
Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association, recalled that while the event now had hundreds of sponsors and 800 businesses would be showing their wares, things were not always so.
"Looking through the records, I found that in 1931 the National Ploughing Championships had only 25 sponsors and some of them were very reluctant to get involved," she said.
Apart from the commercial aspects of the championships, there will also be a broad cross-section of voluntary organisations, sporting bodies, Government departments, educational groups and semi-State bodies at the event.
This year's event will stage one of the largest overseas property exhibitions ever seen in this country and the finance companies, stockbrokers and other bodies will be on hand to offer advice. The Financial Regulator and the Revenue Commissioners will also be on site.
Alternative energy exhibitions will be to the fore, with the emphasis on forestry and the benefits of farmers planting trees and alternative crops.
There will also be an enlarged livestock exhibition, with new breeds of cattle and sheep on display, and a major farm machinery exhibition.
A special traffic plan has been drawn up for the event and this will be published well in advance of the championships which are expected to inject a minimum of €20 million into the local economy.