Abbeydorney ploughs ahead in the face of adversity
WEATHER AND HURLING DIDN’T STOP ABBEYDORNEY PLOUGHING SUCCESS
ABBEYDORNEY’S meeting on Sunday was up against it in more ways than one – but ploughed through all the obstacles to deliver a great day for all who called for a look.
North Kerry loves both its ploughing and hurling – so the fact that Sunday’s meeting fell on the same day as the County Hurling Final Replay could have proven tricky, Kerry Ploughing Association PRO Tom O’Mahony explained. There was also the small matter of an oncoming hurricane, and it was hard to know how conditions would play out on Sunday.
But the weather held up well, and the attendance was strong, much to the delight of Tom and the rest of the ploughing community.
“We were very happy with how it all went,” Tom told The Kerryman this week. “We had been very worried about the weather, but it didn’t turn out too badly, and Corridan’s field in Abbeydorney was a host to very good ploughing conditions.”
And the quality of competition certainly shone given the right environment. Stephen Glavin took the Horse Class, while Aeneas Horan took the two-furrow vintage contest. Shane Godley and Michael J Donegan won in the Under-21 and Under-28 competitions respectively, and Thomas O’Carroll edged out Richard O’Mahony in the Macra contest.
Tommy McCarthy was the winner from Michael O’Halloran and Patrick Boyle in the Reversible Class, while the Senior Tractor prize went to Philip Healy. Tony Wharton took the Novice equivalent, while Maurice Quill and Donal Tydings took the Three-Furrow and Loy Digging competitions respectively.
“They weren’t the only winners,” Tom continued. “Tom Leslie, Killarney, won the Kingdom Installations Abbeydorney Gate Prize, Helena Prendergast Charles from Abbeydorney was the most appropriately dressed lady and John Blacker from Armagh won the men’s prize. Between them, they won a range of prizes donated by Billy Nolan Jewellers, Tralee; Garvey’s Supervaly, Rock Street; and Hygiene Warehouse, Mayfield.”