Visitors to this year’s National Ploughing Championships can look forward to an exciting and vibrant offering, celebrating Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage, shared traditions and much more, at the Culture, Creativity, Archaeology and Sport Marquee, located at Block 3, Row 12, within the Government of Ireland Village. Sport Ireland, Screen Ireland, the Council of National Cultural Institutions and the Ulster Scots Agency will be among the exhibitors in the marquee, which will be fully staffed over the three days to welcome visitors, and demonstrate all of the excellent work they undertake and the services they offer.

Sport Ireland will be on hand promoting the various opportunities for sport across the nation. With information on National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships, as well as active demonstrations, Sport Ireland staff will be more than happy to chat through opportunities to be active in Ireland as an individual or member of a sports club.The exhibition, Society and State – Ireland through its Records, presented by the National Archives, showcases a selection of records which chronicle how the state and Irish society interacted from the 1920s to the end of the twentieth century. Marking a century of independence, this reflection on Ireland’s changing culture is not to be missed.

Another featured exhibition will be Back to the Bronze Age! Bronze Age replica handling with the National Museum of Ireland. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet and have a chat with the Education and Outreach team from the National Museum of Ireland, and to see and handle a collection of replica artefacts from Bronze Age Ireland. See an Early Bronze Age axehead, a bronze spearhead, and some amber beads, and discover what objects people were making and using during the Bronze Age.

Also featured at the Culture, Creativity, Archaeology and Sport Marquee will be the Ulster-Scots Agency/Tha Boord o’ Ulster-Scotch, who will showcase some of the talent, heritage and diversity within the Ulster-Scots community and particularly the farming sector at their exhibition Mined in Scotland, Forged in Ulster, Exported worldwide. The Department’s International Cultural Policy Unit will highlight their work to preserve and enshrine Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage through hands-on demonstrations of uilleann piping and reed-making, as well as fascinating expositions of dry stone wall construction, Limerick lacemaking and Irish Traveller traditions.

Speaking ahead of the Ploughing Championships, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and the Media, Catherine Martin TD, said: "Once again, the National Ploughing Championships will feature the very best of Ireland’s culture, sport, history and heritage with a fantastic line up of events and experiences. Performers, experts and artists from many different backgrounds and traditions will be a great source of entertainment and information to the thousands and thousands of visitors over the three days of the event. The Culture, Creativity, Archaeology and Sport Marquee will showcase cutting edge technology in our world-leading audiovisual industry, as well as a shared tradition and culture on this island that goes all the way back to the Bronze Age."