The tractors and their drivers lined up in Dublin's iconic park early in the morning, along with a squad of gardaí on motorbikes ready to escort them. They set off at 9am after independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice cut the event's ribbon to show his support.

The organisers had set an initial target of €10,000, to be shared equally between Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin and Castlebar Special Care Unit, but increased their target to €50,000 after collecting close to €40,000 earlier this week.

A number of participants have already been on the road for a while, arriving in Dublin on Thursday evening.

The tractor run will stop overnight in Feericks Hotel in Rathowen, Co Westmeath, before completing its journey on Saturday. You can track its progress live online and donate here.

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Revving up: €50,000 target for Dublin to Mayo tractor run