Not one but three of the O’Driscoll family from Kilbritain in Co Cork will be competing at this year’s National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Liam O’Driscoll is getting set to take part in this year’s senior reversible competition.

However, he’s not heading to Offaly to compete alone – his wife Caroline and their daughter Laoise are also taking part in their own right.

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“The ground is a bit dry for practicing, but we’ll keep ticking away anyway.

“My tractor and plough are set up all the time. I leave the tractor and plough in the shed once the spring ploughing matches are over.

“It takes a lot of time to get it set up, so it’s easier to just leave it on,” Liam told the Irish Farmers Journal. Ploughing has been something that has been part of the O’Driscoll family for many years.

Family affair

Liam says his father Jackie is ploughing for over 50 years, and Liam has learned the trade from him.

“I started ploughing in 1999 and I’m ploughing in All-Irelands ever since.”

Liam is no stranger to the plough. He has won many accolades over the years. He was crowned under-28 All-Ireland champion three times and holds one senior All-Ireland title from the National Ploughing Championships.

Liam also came third in the at the World Ploughing Championships in Slovenia in 2009. He also has two European titles from the European championships in Russia in 2018 and France in 2024.

Liam also won a Kirovets K424 240hp Russian-built tractor after being crowned European champion in 2018.

The Kilbrittain man uses a combination of a 2019 Massey Ferguson 5711 and a Kverneland two-furrow reversible plough, which he got in 2021.

The plough comes out regularly at the start of the year to compete in matches and practice.

“From 1 January we’d be flying away ploughing nearly every weekend into the end of March,” he said.