Thousands of people arrived yesterday in Co Laois for the National Ploughing Championships, which has grown to be the largest of its kind in the world and the largest annual rural event in Ireland.
The organisers are hopeful that given any kind of good weather, a dry site and a reduction in the huge number of trade stands, there will be fewer complaints than last year when the event was held in wet and muddy conditions in Co Cork.
Horrendous weather, an overloaded road system and too many commercial stands created difficulties last year when the site was turned into a mudbath and getting on and off it was difficult.
The energetic Anna May McHugh, managing director of the National Ploughing Association, is looking to her native Laois to provide the perfect answer to last year's critics, most of whom, it has to be said, were urban people.
She had taken the decision two years ago to cut back on the number of stands and this year the number of trade stands has been cut back to 715, 100 fewer than last year.
According to Anna Marie McHugh, the NPA's development officer and daughter of Anna May, the championship had been in danger of becoming a victim of its own success and had to be curtailed.
"We have cut back on the number of stands and this year, there will be trackway to service all the trade stands. None of them will be without a path to service them," she said.
She said the reputation of the championship continues to grow at home and internationally and this year, for the first time, an American company has taken space at the event.
It will be joining many companies from Britain and a number from France and Italy who have become established customers.
"This is primarily a rural event and we are keeping it that way. It is a time for people to get out and enjoy themselves and we hope they do that," she said.
Ms McHugh said thousands of people have arrived in the county for the ploughing.
"We have been appealing to local people to open their houses up to visitors and the Laois people have been very good. But I don't think there are any more beds left in the county," she said.
"However, there is still accommodation available in Carlow and Offaly and we will try our best to accommodate anyone who makes it here," she said.
Ms McHugh said holding the event on the same site in 1995 had helped the NPA this year, especially in the area of traffic management.
"We are fortunate to have had that experience. This site at Ballacolla is in between two main routes, the Dublin/Cork, Dublin/ Limerick roads, and this will facilitate easy access to the event." Ms McHugh said the ploughing competitors were delighted with the rainfall at the weekend which left the soil in ideal conditions. here today by the President, Mrs McAleese, who will be the first of a large number of VIPs to visit over the next three days.
A special welcome is being laid on for the Northern Minister of Agriculture, Ms Brid Rodgers, who will be here tomorrow for her first ploughing championships.
The site will be open from 9 a.m. today.