UNDERAGE DRINKING WAS worse at this year’s National Ploughing Championships than it has been in around 15 years, according to the event organisers.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Liveline, Annmarie McHugh, Assistant Managing Director for the National Ploughing Association said Gardaí “confiscated huge quantities” of alcohol from teenagers at the event.

“Yesterday there was a problem, I wouldn’t deny that for a moment,” she said, explaining that adults were buying teenagers alcohol and other teens were using legitimate ID’s that weren’t their own.

The final day of the Championships went ahead in Screggan, Co Offaly, today. The three-day event is estimated to have attracted 300,000 people.

But some attendees said the issue of underaging drinking drove them home early. 

Speaking on RTÉ’s Liveline, Ramona said that she and her young nephews and niece left the event after being “jostled and shoved” by groups of young teenagers who had been drinking alcohol.

“Some of them did look very underage to me, they looked, 15, 16 maybe 17, they looked young,” she said.

The event is often included as part of the transition year curriculum, so many students aged between 15-17 attend.

“This isn’t a new problem for the Ploughing Championship and they’re not really policing it. It’s not really what I signed up for, to be surrounded by young people drinking.”

She said the event is promoted as family friendly and young people are encouraged to go: “Why is there beer there at all?”

The ploughing championship has a license to sell alcohol, and there are several pub stalls set up around the main beer tent – which is where Ramona said she saw the majority of young people drinking.

AnnMarie McHugh agreed that the issue of underaging drinking is worsening at the event.

“There was an escalation yesterday than there has been in a number of years, we did have an issue back pre-Covid, 2010 or 2011,” she said.

The issue was so extreme that it caused two emergency meetings between the organisers and the bars since yesterday evening.

She said the organisers have put in place “huge measures” to crack down on the issues, with Gardaí boarding buses carrying teens to confiscate alcohol and in some cases turning buses away.

She said bars also had additional security, and there was a Gardaí presence and cameras monitoring the bar area.

“The ploughing is not a festival,” she added, explaining that the reason alcohol is sold at the championship is due to tradition.

“We do not in any way tolerate underage drinking whatsoever, we have very strict rules in place.”

Ramona questioned if the restrictions go far enough, suggesting drinking should only be allowed in the bar area.

“My brother-in-law said he saw empty naggins bottles around during the day”, she said, indicating people are also managing to sneak in alcohol.

McHugh said the event is not particularly promoted to young people, but she will look into creating an alcohol only area.