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The National Ploughing Championships 2018 will miss the traditional visit by the current Taoiseach.
Leo Varadkar's visit due this Wednesday morning cannot take place because the event is closed until 11am for safety reasons.
Storm Ali has been pummelling the site with strong winds since early morning.
A spokesperson for An Taoiseach told the Irish Farmers Journal it would not be possible to reschedule his trip to Screggan, Co Offaly, because he is flying to Salzburg, Austria for an EU summit later in the day. The meeting of European heads of state and government takes place this Wednesday and Thursday.
"Unfortunately going to the Ploughing at a later time wasn't an option," the spokesperson said.
SHARING OPTIONS: