Ploughing championships ideal spot for ‘green prayer’ – bishop

A poll of visitors at the National Ploughing Championship to find their traditional prayer is intended to boost an awareness of faith and the importance of prayer, Bishop Denis Nulty has said.

The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, in whose diocese this year’s ploughing championships will take place in September, said that with over 85% of respondents in Ireland’s most recent census claiming a religious affiliation, prayer remains important for many citizens.

“I find people pray more for exams and when they’re sick – they turn to the Lord, so there’s a huge recognition of prayer’s importance and we’re reminding people of that,” he told The Irish Catholic.

Because the championships, this year held in Ballintrane, Co. Carlow, focus on rural living, Dr Nulty is also inviting people of all ages and faiths to submit a short prayer of their own about the environment, relating perhaps to farming, gardening or sustainability.

“There’s no better place for that than in a ploughing championship, in the middle of a field,” he said.

Preferences and entries can be submitted to prayerattheploughing@kandle.ie up to September 10.