For the first time in its 93-year history the Chair of the National Ploughing Association is a Monaghan man. John Deerey from Iniskeen took up the role following the association's AGM yesterday. He had been vice-chair for four years before that. While he is the first chair of the NPA, a couple of Monaghan men blazed the trail before John when two Killanny men Ben Cunningham and John McKenna, became the first ever lifetime member and president of the organisation respectively.
John first started ploughing in1970 at the age of 12 on a Massey 25. The following year he took part in his first national championship but remembers he came in almost last in that competition. Today, his daughter Joanne has six titles to her name and his son, Paudi, has won both under 21 and under 28 titles.
Speaking to Northern Sound from his farm "about a mile from the football field" in Iniskeen, John, said it's a dying art but he will help anyone who wants to get started: "I'm happy to represent my own county, like it's a big achievement for our own county," John said, "If we get anything out of it; if we get more ploughing men and more ploughing ladies it'll be worth ot. It'll be something well worth achieving and I'm happy to be there. It hasn't sunk in yet. It probably won't sink in until someone's on the phone looking for something nearly impossible but, it will be interesting to see what happens. Hopefully, I'll be able to take in the counties around me and encourage them to build on things too."
