This article is from page 79 of the 2008-09-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 79 JPG
EXCITEMENT is reaching fever point as thousands of Clare farm- ers make their way to the National Ploughing Championships which open in Kilkenny today. Millions of euro 1s expected to be spent in Kil- kenny over the next few days as the largest farming event in Ireland this years takes place.
An estimated 200,000 people are expected to converge the champion- ships which will this year play host to 19 All Ireland ploughing finals over the course of the three days.
Besides the competitions on the field, the championships will also
feature hundreds of stalls drawn from every corner of country life.
Indeed, Specsavers in Ennis will join forces with the Road Safety Au- thority for the Specsavers Focus on Driving Campaign which will take place at the championships.
Last year, Specsavers screened more than 1000 people’s vision at the National Ploughing Champion- ships, in one of Ireland’s largest-ever eyecare studies and they hope to do even better this year.
‘‘As autumn looms and the evenings become darker, it is more important than ever to ensure that your eye- sight isn’t putting you or other road users 1n jeopardy,’ said the director
of Specsavers in Ennis, Mayleen van der Merwe.
“By joining forces with the RSA, we aim to educate drivers on the im- portance of eyesight.”
Meanwhile, Macra na Feirme has announced a packed programme of activity for this year event. Apart from showcasing all the best the or- ganisation has to offer, with details of upcoming Macra projects, events and travel opportunities for mem- bers, Macra will host a number of key activities which will undoubt- edly prove popular with the crowds attending this year.
These include competitions with the Gleneagle Hotel, programmes
to promote farm safety and an inter- county and company bucking bronco eee
The FBD young farmer of the year will also be on site along with Kil- kenny Macra members who will be present on the stand to recruit new members to local Macra clubs in the area.
Galway Macra will be on hand to provide details of the upcoming Na- tional Conference (Rally) in Salthill in October.
Macra na Feirme’s national presi- dent, Catherine Buckley, will also be on site over the three days to meet and speak with visitors to the Macra display area.