Cavan ploughing team ready for Tullamore

Róisín McManus

The 12-strong Cavan ploughing team hope to increase local interest in ploughing ahead of making their way to the National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore next week, from September 16-18.

Made up of the winners of the county ploughing match last May, members of the Cavan team will be competing in a number of different classes over the three days of competition.

“We had a fantastic year this year,” says Jim Vogan, the National Ploughing Association (NPA) Director for Cavan. “We had our county match at Wilton’s outside Ballyjamesduff and the weather was fantastic. We had probably one of the best days we ever had crowd-wise.”

The part-time suckler farmer was preparing for next week's ploughing championships when the Celt called to see his Kverneland plough.

“We’re lucky this year, we’ve 12 people representing Cavan. They’re all doing their bit for the county,” said Jim who also runs Ballinagh Furniture Stores.

A long-standing member of the NPA, Jim has been taking part in ploughing matches in Cavan and further afield since the 1980s.

“I always had an interest in ploughing. I got involved in the Cavan ploughing then and it went on from there.

“We have our Cavan match in the Springtime and you also attend two or three other matches. If you win on the day in your own county, you’re for the All-Ireland.

“You have to have two county matches done and your own. But most people will have four,” says Jim.

“I can go to any ploughing match in Ireland if I want to get experience. So, it’s up to people to go to three or four matches. The more practise you have, the better. Usually, in this area, they go to Monaghan, Louth, Meath, Dublin, Leitrim and Longford.

“I’ve been at the All Ireland for several years representing Cavan, had good years and bad years and that’s how it goes,” he reflects. “It’s a great build-up now to the All-Ireland, it’s nice to represent your county.”

Jim's introduction to ploughing came through work on his home-farm. One of eight siblings, yet he was the only one bitten by the ploughing bug.

“I was ploughing at home back then,” he recalls. “There used to be a bit of crop going in and you get good at it and then I went to the local ploughing match and ended up going to the All-Ireland. I’m going since.

“If you like a thing, you’ll keep doing it.”

Jim explains the tradition of ploughing.

“It would be dropping down different generations. There is an interest even for people coming to look that didn’t know the like was happening in Cavan. Maybe word like that would start to get people out and about.”

On a fine September afternoon, the Vogan home is surrounded by lush green fields and spectacular views of nearby Cootehill.

Jim pulls out his International tractor that he uses with his Kverneland plough- just as he has done the past 25 years.

“There’s some big ploughs out there today but the plough that I’m ploughing with was built back in the late '70s and it’s still good. It’s what they call a match plough and it’s for competition ploughing only. It’s been a while on the go.

“Every year, you’ll add a wee bit to it. If a part is wearing, you’ll replace it. It’s just like a motor car, you have to keep it going. It’s going well for me now at the minute.”

Jim though would like to see more young people coming into the ploughing.

“It takes a lot of money to get set up now, to get a plough and tractor, to go into it right,” he accepts. “You can have a brand new tractor if it’s small enough and done up and you can buy a brand new plough, if you’ve loads of money.

“That’s why they introduced the novice class, so that is bringing people back into it. If they get the taste of it maybe they’ll keep at it,” he adds.

“The way that novice class works is, we have a novice day. I take my tractor and plough and there’ll be a young lad or lassie there so I’ll coach them on the day.

“You’d like to do a couple of days practise,” Jim says, in advance of the national ploughing championships.

“It’s all down to practise and having the gear, your tractor and plough in as good a condition as you can. It’s all down to luck then on the day. You could get a good plot or not.

“It starts at half 10 and it’s over at half two so you’re busy from you start until you finish. You give it your best.

“Good early starts, long days, good fun,” Jim says of the ploughing championships.

“If it’s raining it’s not the same but we’ll not even mention it,” he grins.

“I love ploughing because it’s an art in itself,” he adds. “You could plough all day. When you’re turning it over nicely, you couldn’t be at anything better.”