There’s no denying that Anna May McHugh is a trailblazer. At the age of 17, she got a job at the National Ploughing Association, and now more than six decades later she is still there – but running the show as its Managing Director and Secretary. Over the years, Anna May has really put her stamp on the National Ploughing Championships, which is now the biggest festival in Ireland. She tells RSVP : “There was nothing for women until I asked for permission to run a fashion show.
Between work and home, where does Anna May and Anna Marie stop and mother and daughter begin? Do you keep your roles separate? Anna Marie: Not Anna May anyway [laughs]. You could be having breakfast on Sunday morning and she will say, “Did you book such a thing?” At half 11 at night, you will be asked questions. It is her generation, there is no separation, it is all crossover between work and family. If you dare take a holiday, you will be asked when you are coming back.
Do you think some people will still be nervous about attending large events? Anna May: You have to remember that there were over 82,000 people in enclosed areas at the All-Ireland finals. They were elbow-to-elbow in the stands, but we have 600 or 700 acres of open ground in the fresh air.
Anna Marie: Anna May doesn’t do time off! The only way she will take a holiday is if she has a work-related reason to go to the destination in the first place. Like if she has to go to a meeting in New Zealand for two days, she might extend the trip to three weeks. I like a holiday though!Anna May, do you feel proud to work with your daughter? When she is not contrary [laughs]. We have a great understanding and we want the event to be a success.
Anna Marie: My dad, Lord rest him, was a man who stayed in the background. He was based at home and on the farm. He always told Anna May that if she died it would be six months before anyone noticed her missing because she was always gone. He smoked a pipe and he and his brother-in-law Tommy loved nothing more than getting two chairs outside the NPA stand to watch people all day long. They never wanted to meet the VIPs but they loved seeing the crowd. They were ordinary people.
Anna May: Absolutely! And where we are in Ratheniska this year, there is only a church, a GAA pitch and a school in the village. Did you make being a female work to your advantage? Anna Marie: She never focused on women’s lib in any way, she just drove on. She was on RTÉ chat shows back in the day discussing why the female class in the ploughing championships was called the “farmerette class” and how it wasn’t sexist. Her argument was that the NPA were innovative in creating that class in the early 40s. On principle, it has never changed. Women can compete in any class but there is also a female-only one.
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