The Dealer braved this year’s National Ploughing Championships so you didn’t have to. As always, there were interesting people who headed for the site and a few words spoken to me that people did not want repeated.

  • Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar tried his hand at the Ploughing. While he was there to talk shop, making a day-long appearance was seen by a few as his continued push for power in Fine Gael.
  • Tractor football proved a success.
  • The ECB launched the new Europe-wide €50 note. Big times.
  • One Mayo agri company was offering “a free gate” to anyone who could deliver three All-Ireland final replay tickets. “Up Mayo,” they said.
  • Ireland MEP Matt Carthy didn’t mince his words when speaking at a debate on the Sinn Féin stand. The Co Monaghan man, an elected representative himself, said the country has “been electing gobshites, for want of a better word”.