I see that Anna May McHugh is to be awarded an honorary degree by the National University of Ireland next Tuesday. This is not the first such award for the formidable managing director of the National Ploughing Association. In 2006, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of philosophy from Dublin Institute of Technology for showcasing Ireland’s food and tourism. She also won the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year 2013.

Anna May McHugh left school at the age of 17, having completed a secretarial course. Her first full-time job was in the office of the national ploughing competition and three years later, when the National Ploughing Association of Ireland Ltd was established, she was appointed as its secretary.

She soon became a pivotal part of the organisation and in 1973 she was the natural choice for the position of managing director, a position she still holds. Europe’s largest outdoor exhibition event continues to evolve under her guiding hand.

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