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The heavens opened on day two of the National Ploughing Championships but it was still awash with eager punters.

Young and old descended on Screggan in Tullamore, Co Offaly, to soak up the atmosphere as well as the torrential rain.

One of the youngest visitors was baby Saoirse Kenny, who took shelter from the downpours with her mum Anna at one of the hundreds

of stands.

Anna, from Athea, Co Limerick, said: “We come every year but this is her first day of many.” Farmer Mick O’Reilly told how he hasn’t missed the event for “well over a quarter of a century”.

He joked: “Every year I’m getting a bit older and a bit uglier.

Mick travelled from Kilfinane, Co Limerick, with his neighbour John Flynn.

He added: “We’ll be here for two days but even at that you have to be selective about what you’ll see because you’ll never take it all in, there is just so much.

“I’m interested in the innovation side of things. I’m fascinated by all the new ideas in farming but I’m a bit put off that there’s so much talk of apps and technology.

“That’s hard for a man of my age to get my head around.” Testament to the popularity of the event across the water, Eifion and Sheila Jones made their annual pilgrimage from Tregaron in Wales.

Sheila said: “The people here are so friendly. When you stop at any of the stalls people begin talking to you. You get that atmosphere here at the Irish Ploughing.”

Droves of secondary school students from across the country, donning face paint and flashy wellies, got their first taste of agriculture.Newcomers Saoirse O’Brien, 15, and 16-year-old Grace Flanagan said they were there on a transition year trip with Gaelscoil Charman in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

Saoirse added: “We will definitely be back again next year.

“It’s great for us because our teacher told us to think about the mini companies and BT Young Scientist that we will be doing.

“It has given us some ideas for possible experiments.”

The Championships is a family affair for many in rural Ireland and father and son Oliver and Chris O’Malley took the short spin from Dunshaughlin, Co Meath. The pair were hiding out in the Irish Farmers Association tent, which was the hub for many.

Chris said: “There was a bit of a scandal with the IFA. They lost a lot of members but they’re slowly coming back.”

But there was no talk of Brexit wherever you went. The mantra echoed throughout was: “We’ll deal with it when it happens.”

But the main political parties seemed more keen to shine a light on sustainable energy and access to broadband for rural Ireland than the austere economics facing farming families.