Inspired by five-time Queen of the Plough

Multi-talented:

Ailish Osborne in a field of winter barley on the family farm in Kilkea, Co Kildare.

As a niece of five-time Queen of the Plough winner Breda Murphy, it’s little wonder that Ailish Osbourne wanted to try her hand at competition match ploughing.

And she turned out to be a natural, winning the Kildare novice ploughing competition in February, which qualified her for a place at the All-Ireland championships.

“I thought I might as well give itago it was in the family. The training is a family affair so it’s nice and I hope everything goes ahead now in September,” says Ailish, who is instructed by her uncle Dinny Murphy and cousin John Murphy.

The National Ploughing Championship has been cancelled, but the match ploughing side of the event will take place behind closed doors.

Ailish ploughs with a two-sod standard conventional plough.

“My cousin John put the plough into the ground at the start of our first training session and just told me to drive as straight as I could,” she jokes.

“But you wouldn’t believe how much maths is involved in ploughing until you go to compete. I have learnt so much about the plough and the art of ploughing. You could be out of the tractor 10 times in the attempt to finish one stroke.”

On the family farm, ploughing is very different for Ailish.

“At home when ploughing, I am thinking, ‘how can I do this quick enough?’. In the field of the competition I am thinking, ‘how can I do this straight enough?’.”