Ireland’s Culture and Creativity to take centre stage at the Ploughing

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media will be exhibiting at the 2022 National Ploughing Championships. The much- anticipated event returns to Ratheniska this year, and will take place from 20-22 September.

This year the department will showcase an exciting and vibrant offering at the Culture, Creativity and Innovation Marquee, located at Block 308-310 within the Government of Ireland Village.

Highlights will include a National Archives exhibition on the 1921 Treaty, a diverse display of cultural practices, heritage traditions and a colourful array of creative youth projects.

Officials from the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme will also be in attendance to advise potential applicants and showcase the benefits the programme has brought to rural communities around the country.

More highlights include:

Creative Climate Conversations/ Creative Wall: Over the 3 days, artist Lisa Fingleton will produce a large-scale Interactive drawing project (2.4m x 33m) which will respond live to the solutions for climate change offered by farmers. For the last 6 months Lisa has been working with ten farming families on the Dingle Peninsula on Corca Dhuibhne Inbhuanaithe: A Creative Imagining is a Creative Climate Action project working with ten farming families on the Dingle Peninsula. The aim is to identify ways in which farmers might diversify and adapt in the face of climate change
Irish Traditional Music: A lively performance and interactive demonstration of Sean Nós singing, bodhrán and fiddle playing
Junk Kouture: A secondary school programme that challenges students to create couture fashion from 100% recycled materials, before showcasing their creations to a global audience
Mummers Performance: Modern-day Mummers, dressed in their distinctive straw head-dresses, recreate the mumming tradition
Workers Villages: This imagines a more sustainable future for three Bord na Mona villages designed by Frank Gibney
Field Exchange: A series of farm based creative events supporting farmers to implement agricultural practices that combat climate change
Harvest Knot Demonstration and Workshops: The National Museum of Ireland-Country Life will demonstrate how to make different types of these traditional woven braids, and encourage spectators to make their own Harvest Knots
Headford Lacemaking: Learn about the founding and practice of Headford Lacemaking including the opportunity to participate in the interactive lacemaking workshop
Loy Digging: Learn about loy digging and the different types of loys used in this traditional practice to till soil
Native Irish Cattle Breeding: Learn about Native Irish Cattle Breeding, which is inscribed on Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Letterpress Printing: Participate in an interactive workshop on letterpress printing hosted by the National Print Museum

Speaking ahead of the Ploughing Championships, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and the Media, Catherine Martin, said:

"The Ploughing Championships is a significant national event, which continues to grow in its scale and cultural importance. My department will showcase a variety of customs and traditions from all over the country, and celebrate some of our wonderful youth projects which are facilitating young people to explore their creative abilities. I encourage all visitors to this year’s Ploughing to take the opportunity to visit the Treaty 1921 – Records from the Archives Exhibition and learn more about that pivotal time in our history. I wish the very best of luck to all who are exhibiting, performing, participating in workshops and sharing their knowledge and creative practice as part of my department’s schedule of events. I wish every success to the Ploughing Championship organisers for what will be a memorable event."

Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers, said:

"It is wonderful to see the Ploughing Championships return after a two year absence. I am delighted that the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme will be an important part of the department’s marquee offering this year, which will give Ploughing attendees the opportunity to speak directly with officials about the programme. The Sports Capital and Equipment Programme has been hugely beneficial for rural communities, and thousands of projects have been funded in towns and villages across Ireland since its inception. I wish the National Ploughing Championships every success and we look forward to seeing a large attendance for what will be a very enjoyable event for all."

A full listing of events, workshops and seminars for the Culture, Creativity and Innovation Marquee is available on our dedicated gov.ie page.

Ireland’s Culture and Creativity to take centre stage at the Ploughing

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