The Dealer was pleased to attend the awards ceremony for the 2018 Innovation Arena on Monday night, where Mayo company AgriSpread was announced as the overall winner of the Enterprise Ireland-run innovation awards.

However, The Dealer nearly choked on his glass of malbec at one point in the proceedings when James Maloney, who manages the Innovation Arena at Enterprise Ireland, told the audience he reckoned he should award himself the top prize for innovation for his clever idea to build the first ever two-storey marquee at the Ploughing.

The shrewd Laoisman noted how the National Ploughing Association (NPA) only charged on a square foot basis for a stand at the Ploughing, so building a second storey would double the space on Enterprise Ireland’s stand at no extra charge from the NPA.

Needless to say, the NPA and Anna May, who was sitting at the top table, will be reviewing its pricing structure for next year.