“IT PROBABLY hasn’t totally suck in yet … every day since, I had to pinch myself to see if it’s true,” laughed 2014 World Ploughing Champion Eamonn Treacy, now back home in Carlow after his triumphant win on the world stage.
Eamonn from Garryhill won the World Ploughing Championships following an epic two-day event in St Jean d’Illac in France, beating five former world champions and the best ploughmen from across the globe. The victory was all the sweeter for Eamonn and the Treacy family, given their phenomenal history in the competition, and the fact that a world title had eluded them thus far.
In his ploughing career, Eamonn was twice a runner-up in the world competition, third on two occasions and fourth also twice, having begun ploughing at world ploughing matches in 1998. His father Johnny was placed second on six occasions on the world stage.
“It’s an amazing feeling and surely emotional to be standing on a podium with Amhrán na bhFiann playing. Yeah, I shed a few tears, but I was nearly more emotional before the presentation. I just got on the podium and tried to take it all in,” said Eamonn.
“There was a massive Irish support and to look out and see them all blasting the anthem out it would raise the hairs on the back of your neck,” admitted Eamonn.
Eamonn’s wife Eilish, sons Seán and Steve, parents Johnny and Lil and a huge gathering of family, friends and supporters watched anxiously on the final day of ploughing to see if Eamonn could retain his lead from day one.
“When I heard the results from the second day, I was 99.9% certain I had it, but some of my supporters were still a bit anxious until the announcement,” said Eamonn.
The path to a world title takes huge preparation, with the additional challenges of the blistering heat in France and a soil completely unfamiliar to Irish ploughmen.
“You bring your own equipment to the world matches, but this time we were ploughing a poor, black soil that we had never encountered before,” explains Eamonn. In preparation, Eamonn spent four or five days in the south slobs in Wexford, working the soft, sandy soil there.
Ploughing at a world match is also very tough physically and mentally, with so many elements required in completing your plot of 100m x 20m to world title standard.
“You have a strategy from the start because there are points deducted and penalties if you don’t complete all the elements required,” explained Eamonn.
Ploughing since he was 13 years’ old, Eamonn admitted that “it meant everything” to have such a renowned ploughman as Johnny as his father – “he set the standard,” he said.
