The National Ploughing Association (NPA) yesterday unveiled its site where 150,000 people are expected to attend the ploughing championships which will be formally opened by the President, Mary McAleese on Tuesday, September 25th.
This, the largest ploughing championships in the world and one of Europe's biggest agricultural outdoor events, will be held at the Annaharvey farm just outside Tullamore, Co Offaly.
The locals, who were disappointed last month when their one-day agricultural show was cancelled because of flooding, are throwing their weight behind this event, with over 500 volunteers taking part in the massive undertaking.
They will be stewarding the site which will cover over 500 acres and already the 350 acres of car parking have been set aside for the event and 60 acres to accommodate the 800-plus exhibitor stands which become a tented village for the event.
Yesterday, most of the 13km (8 miles) of steel trackway which will give access to all parts of the site, had been laid and work was beginning on the erection of the hundreds of stands and marquees. The three days are expected to pump €20 million into the local economy.
The logistics behind a national ploughing championships are mind boggling. For instance, over 200,000 gallons of fresh water will be required and six heavy generators have been brought which will feed power through the 20km of cable needed to service the site's 600 power points.
Supt Denis Bowe, who has overall charge of a major traffic management plan, said that this plan not only covered the immediate area, but an area some 60km away. "There will be traffic control as far away as Longford and Portlaoise because there is no sense in us getting it right here in Tullamore if people are being held up in towns 20 miles away."
He said up to 300 members of the Garda would be directly involved and the routes, which will be published well in advance, will be colour-coded to facilitate the travelling public." He said the experience gained from managing the traffic for the National Livestock Show every year and most recently, the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheol which was held here at the end of August, will come into play.
The managing director of the NPA, Anna May McHugh, said the championships are now so large that a visitor would have to attend for the full three days from opening to closing time and devote only two minutes to each stand to see it all.
In recent years, the championships have become a major venue for Irish politicians and this year will be no different. The Taoiseach Mr Ahern will be here on the site on the Thursday of the championships and the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, who lives locally, will be in attendance on most days.
And of course, there will be ploughing here as well. Three hundred ploughmen and women will be taking part in the many competitions for the 19 major titles which are on offer.