A flatcap tumbles through the air and rolls along the ground, threatening to take off again before a steward grabs it, returning the hat to its owner, who, promptly stuffs it into a bag. On a day like today absolutely everything needs to be battened down.

In the car park, in the midst of howling winds, exhibitors and what would have been attendees try to decipher the situation amongst themselves.

“Will it be 11, one or two?”

“Someone needs to call it.”

“I don’t reckon it will go ahead at all.”

The announcement comes, buses pour out on to the road, the Tullamore bypass backs up and radios are turned on to try make sense of the situation. The Ploughing has been cancelled and all that is left to do is head home.

The match

However, the foundation element of the Ploughing, the ploughing itself, is still going strong.

Many were unsure whether or not it was going ahead, but over at the other side of the site it is business as usual as the classes get under way.

Most competitors say they find the conditions favourable, bar the sighting poles wobbling and having to make sure the tractor door doesn’t swing back and hit them. Their furrows and impending results are the only things occupying their minds. An ice-cream van in the corner of the field still doles out 99s as ploughs are cleaned off, a world apart from the confusion of the morning.

On site

Inside the Ploughing site things are less amiable, rows in between stands are deserted, apart from staff getting the repair work under way. Some stands are intact, others have suffered minor damage and an unlucky few are beyond repair.

Exhibitors wear hi-vis vests, assessing their situation, comparing it to their neighbours, an eerie quite hangs over the Ploughing. More confusion surrounds whether or not there will be an extra day. Thursday and Friday are confirmed, plans are redrawn and more preparations get under way.

But, no one will ever forget the day the Ploughing blew away.

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Watch: Strong exhibitor reaction to additional day of Ploughing

Watch: Ploughing to open Thursday and Friday – NPA