The Cairn of Peace monument was unveiled in Ratheniska, Co Laois, on Friday 10 March to celebrate Ireland hosting the 67th World Ploughing Contest in 2022.

Each country since 1953 that hosts the World Ploughing Contest erects a Cairn of Peace monument, which is inscribed 'Let Peace Cultivate the Fields'.

The idea behind the monument is to commemorate a world ploughing event in a permanent manner, a spokesperson from the National Ploughing Association has said.

Symbols of peace

"Although stylistically the Cairns of Peace that have been erected are all unique and remarkable in their own right, they are all symbols of peace and co-operation on a global scale," the spokesperson said.

There are Cairns of Peace where each World Ploughing Contest took place and this is the sixth mounted in Ireland and first in Laois.

There is currently one in Kerry, two in Wexford and two in Carlow.

The 2022 cairn stone was extracted from McKeon Stone’s Kilkenny and Blue Limestone quarry in Threecastles, Co Kilkenny.

McKeown Stone in Stradbally crafted the stone into the cairn while Kent Stainless created the steelwork on the monument.