Ballycastle & District Horse Ploughing Society prepare for St Patrick’s Day match

THE Ballycastle and District Horse Ploughing Society are looking forward to staging their annual St Patrick’s Day Horse Ploughing Match once again this year, with the traditional event expected to take place on Tuesday 17 March, weather permitting.

Recognised as the only remaining all-horse ploughing match in Ireland, the Ballycastle event is a unique celebration of traditional farming skills and rural heritage. While many modern ploughing matches involve tractors and a variety of machinery, the Ballycastle match remains proudly devoted to horse-drawn ploughing, preserving a skill that was once central to farming life across Ireland.

The match traces its roots back to the early 1840s, when ploughing competitions were organised by local farming societies and agricultural groups. The Ballycastle and District Horse Ploughing Society was formally founded in 1902, and apart from a break during the First World War, the event has continued to be held for well over a century. The Society’s aim remains simple — to keep traditional horse ploughing skills alive and pass them on to future generations.

Each year the St Patrick’s Day match attracts competitors and spectators from across Ireland and further afield, all keen to witness the spectacle of beautifully turned furrows and powerful working horses demonstrating the craftsmanship of traditional ploughmen.

This year’s event will again take place on land kindly provided by the Black family, to whom the committee are extremely grateful for their continued support in making both the ploughing and car parking facilities possible.

The Society also recently made a donation to Air Ambulance Northern Ireland on behalf of the Black family, recognising the importance of supporting vital emergency services and giving something back to the wider community.

Competitors are encouraged to bring their horses and ploughs along on the day, while spectators are warmly invited to come out and enjoy what promises to be a wonderful traditional gathering.

With St Patrick’s Day colours sure to be on display, organisers are encouraging everyone to come along well dressed for the occasion, shovel in hand, and help celebrate one of Ireland’s oldest rural traditions.

If the weather is kind, it promises to be a memorable day where young and old alike can enjoy the timeless sight of horse ploughing and the turning of the soil in Ballycastle on St Patrick’s Day.