- Lely's robotic milking machines are a thing of wonder. A herd of 40 cows are being milked on site, untouched by human hand.
- Sheep shearing: A perennial favourite, the sheep shearing competition is always good fun.
- Rentokil has a novel approach to attracting visitors to its stall. Its Pestaurant offers diners a choice of mealworms, crickets and roasted locusts.
- Bus Éireann: Has the impressionist Oliver Callan (and all those people he takes off) on site.
- Tractor football: A new one for the championships this year. Teams of tractors push a giant football around a muddy field.
- The ploughing: Sometimes the ploughing seems to be about everything except the activity, but the competitions draw a big crowd.
- Sheep dog trials: Once upon a time the whole British nation was in thrall to One Man and his Dog. See it live here.
- RTÉ tent: There is no surprises as to who is the most popular broadcaster in the country. You can meet Marty Morrissey (or his cardboard cut out).
- Electric Ireland tent: Various Olympians have been on site. The O'Donovan brothers will be pulling like a dog here on Thursday
- Enterprise Ireland: Showcases the latest in farming innovation such as a sheep spa, a revolutionary bailer or an animal incubator.
Top 10 things to see at the National Ploughing Championships
From mealworms to roasted locusts and tractor football – the delight is in the detail
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