From horse-drawn ploughs to autonomous tractors at Ireland’s ploughing show

The 95th edition took place at Screggan, near Tullamore in County Offaly, from 15 to 17 September , drawing more than 350 competitors and tens of thousands of visitors from Ireland and across the EU. Traditional horse-drawn ploughs and vintage machinery stood alongside modern tractors, while veteran farmers demonstrated loy digging, an Irish method of turning soil by hand with a narrow spade. The event also showcased the future of farming , with drones, robots and autonomous tractors highlighting the growing role of automation and precision agriculture. Manitou’s MLT 625e, a battery-powered compact telehandler, was named Machine of the Year after judges found it matched the dimensions, lifting capacity and performance of comparable diesel models.