Major shake-up confirmed for National Ploughing Championships amid Ryder Cup clash
While no venue has been confirmed for the 2027 event, Assistant Managing Director Anna Marie McHugh has said it will not take place in Screggan, Tullamore
The National Ploughing Championships is set to take place on new dates next year in a bid to avoid a major clash with the Ryder cup in Ireland.
Organisers of the annual agricultural festival have confirmed the Ploughing Championships will now run from September 21 to 23, 2027, slightly later than its traditional slot in the calendar, to avoid overlapping with the prestigious golf tournament at Adare Manor in county Limerick.
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The Ryder Cup, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, is due to take place from September 17 to 19, 2027, marking the tournament's triumphant return to Ireland for the first time since 2006.
The date change is expected to help avoid pressure on accommodation, transport and visitor numbers, with hundreds of thousands of spectators expected to travel to Ireland for both events.
While this year's Championships are set to take place in Screggan in Tullamore, county Offaly, no venue has been confirmed for next year's event.
Speaking to Midlands 103, Assistant Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association in Ireland, Anna Marie McHugh, has confirmed it will be leaving Tullamore.
"We are working on a venue.," said McHugh, "We are leaving Tullamore, that's for sure, we've done two years there so it's time to move.
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"It also gives a new county he opportunity to benefit from it because the local clubs benefit from stewarding at the event, people get work at the event so that's really important, to give back, when you're going to a venue."
The National Ploughing Championships regularly attract crowds in excess of 200,000 people over the three-day event and are regarded as Europe's largest outdoor exhibition and agricultural trade show.
Meanwhile, anticipation is already building around the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, with the tournament expected to generate a major tourism and economic boost for Ireland.