I got to go to Bloom on Sunday as we had no silage on the ground and the weather forecast was bad.

It’s fair to say Tara McCarthy’s Bloom swansong as she departs Bord Bia was a roaring success.

I didn’t get to offer my congratulations to her as Nevan Maguire was in full swing despite the rain teeming down.

Spud Keogh’s yellow plastic ponchos were everywhere and while the Sunday crowds were back given the persistent drizzle it didn’t stop Marcus O’Halloran milking the much-maligned cow on the Agri Aware stand.

Some were giving out about the queues at Heuston to catch a bus up to Bloom but it didn’t stop me or the food producers from all parts of Ireland sharing a taste of Ireland’s best.