'She breaks all the rules on retiring' Queen of the plough Anna May McHugh still at the helm

The queen of the plough Anna May McHugh is literally up to 90, for this year's National Ploughing Championships.

The Ballyadams lady who has been Managing Director of the National Ploughing Association for an incredible 51 years, attended the launch of the 2024 massive event on site in Ratheniska.

She celebrated her 90th birthday last May with her family, and her daughter and assistant MD, Anna Marie McHugh spoke in admiration of her mother at the launch to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

"She's still at the helm. She's still the boss, she tells us every so often. Her head is perfect, she's able to lead us which is great. Very proud that the event is in Laois for her, obviously. 

"She is giving us checklists all the time. She wakes up at 5am and starts making lists. She breaks all the rules on retiring," she said.

The championships are in their home county of Laois, at Ratheniska for the third year in a row, the usual length of time in one location. 

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh with World champion ploughmen Eamonn Tracey from Carlow and Jer Coakley from West Cork; Leonard Hovenden from Kverneland and Anna Marie McHugh at the National Ploughing Championships launch on site at Ratheniska, Co. Laois, Tuesday September 3 2024. Picture: Alf Harvey. 

Last year rain made conditions muddy affecting some trade and attendance numbers, but Anna Marie expects that to bounce back.

"You have the stalwarts that come to the ploughing every year. You definitely have drop offs in a bad year. They'll say 'look it's not worth the hardship of being there. Then they come back again. You'll have different industries that are going through a bad time and their sector will be low but then it'll bounce back. It's always ups and downs in this sector.

"But no we're very happy, you can see the site build, it's a big trade arena and we've all the usual activities and a few new things happening this year as well. So a really good programme for the few days.

She describes the benefits for the local area and for Laois in hosting the enormous event, the biggest outdoor show in Europe.

"Massive. Commercially it's massive. Like every hotel is booked, every bed and breakfast, all the restaurants do well, all the petrol stations, fast food, there's a huge knock-on. Local staffing, local services. It's massive. It's only noticeable when these things are gone that you realise what it was in the area. But Laois has been very supportive. All the emergency services, council and everything have really done as much as they can do to make it work," she said.

Volunteers are at the heart of their success.

"At the core is the Laois Ploughing Association behind us. They're out marking plots today. Then we have all the local GAA clubs they'll get up at five in the morning to be out stewarding in the carparks. Massive assistance, if we didn't have that I don't know how we'd work. Then lots of volunteers from around the country, from different ploughing associations, they'll come in for the week of the event and be part of the whole thing. All of that is massive," Anna Marie said.