This year’s National Ploughing Championships, located in the Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin, will take place in Ratheniska, Portlaoise, Co Laois, from 17 to 19 September. The event is the biggest National Ploughing Championships in the world, with an average of 300,000 visitors. The diocese will be represented at Stand 221 and, for this year, will highlight the suffering of victims in war torn areas such as Gaza and Ukraine.
Visitors to Stand 221 will be invited to collect a coloured pin and place it on a specially designed Saint Brigid’s Cross, and to make a pledge for peace in response to the horrific wars around the world. This cross will be presented to Pope Francis next year during World Youth Day in Rome.
This ‘Pledge your Pin for Peace’ initiative is being led by Bishop Denis Nulty, Bishop of Kildare & Leighlin.
Looking forward to the Ploughing Championships, Bishop Nulty said, “I believe that Irish people of all ages have been appalled by the horrendous conflicts in several regions – especially in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar. When people are asked to ‘Pledge your Pin for Peace’ it will be a practical way of expressing our ‘No’ to war. The word ‘pledge’ also implies a commitment, and I encourage the faithful to make the pledge, to pray for peace and, if possible, donate financially to relief organisations working in conflict zones.”
During the Ploughing Championships, Bishop Nulty will also launch an initiative to invite people to allow their phones to ‘ping’ for peace. Bishop Nulty said, “People from rural Ireland naturally empathise with farmers in war torn places because agriculture is an important sector in many troubled areas. The theme of peace resonates with the motto of the World Ploughing Organisation – Let Peace Cultivate the Fields.”
As part of the anti-war focus at the Kildare & Leighlin Stand 221, the bell of Saint Columbanus will be rung for peace every hour. The Columbanus bell was cast a decade ago to mark the 1400th anniversary of the missionary born in Myshall, Co Carlow, and who brought Celtic Christianity to parts of France and Italy. Next July, Bishop Nulty will host the 26th International Columbanus Day in Carlow to mark the event’s first ever celebration in the Republic of Ireland.
As 2024 marks the 1500th anniversary of Saint Brigid, a handcrafted Cloak of Saint Brigid will be prominently displayed reflecting the folklore that tells of the saint spreading her cloak over the Curragh in Kildare. Additionally, a cherished tradition will be upheld at the Kildare & Leighlin tent, where blessed salt will be available for use on farms and gardens to encourage growth and prosperity.
To promote vocations to the diocesan priesthood, a section of the Kildare & Leighlin Stand 221 will be devoted to those who wish to foster their calling to priestly ministry.
ENDS
