For three days it's been one of the largest urban centres in Ireland, but Ballinabrackey in Co Meath was turning back into a deserted village last night as the ploughing championships left town.
Next year the circus heads for a model farm in Carlow, which will have its work cut out to beat this year's model.
A record 167,000 paid into the Co Meath venue over the past three days; the sun shone most of the time; and not a drop of rain fell.
The only mud here was the stuff the politicians were throwing at each other, and even that wasn't sticking.
Some of it was aimed at the Minister for Agriculture after an IFA survey raised questions about the traceability of Irish beef.
But it was the traceability of lost children that was the big controversy, at least for the woman on the Ballinabrackey PA who waged a three-day campaign to get parents to write contact phone numbers on their offspring.
Despite her heroics, a constant stream of numberless urchins managed to get separated in the huge crowds - although by last night, mercifully, they'd all been claimed.
Tánaiste Mary Harney formally closed this year's event, which she said typified the "energy, enthusiasm, and enterprise of Irish farming".
The event also typified the energy, enthusiasm and enterprise of the political parties, most of which have come to realise its crucial importance for meeting the people.
Of the parties with seats in the Dáil, only Labour and - for a variety of reasons - the Socialist Party chose not to have stands. Perhaps Labour had seen the latest opinion polls showing their core support among farmers at only half that for the population at large.
Pat Cox occupied a special category among the politicians, making an exhibition of himself. The President of the European Parliament fielded queries about Europe and its institutions from his pitch in Row U.
While many of this week's ploughing competitors might be humorously deemed "outstanding in their own fields," it's probably only Pat Cox that could be said to have been out fielding in his own stand.
Then again, the importance of this event for those with a message was illustrated by the fact that Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterian Church saw fit to take a half-page advertisement in the programme.
"Three important things every farmer should know," it read. "(1) You need to be saved (2) You can be saved (3) You can be absolutely sure that you are saved."
A typical street in "Ploughtown" was Row W, where yesterday evening a Bible study group rubbed shoulders with a stand selling goldfish and rabbits.
Meanwhile in the pub opposite a ballad singer performed Forty Shades of Green.
This could be the theme song of the championships, at least the part of that which happens in the trade village.
Unbeknownst to most of those who visited during the three days, the outlying fields were closer to 40 shades of brown by the time the competitions finished.