Munster Players At Ploughing Championship

Among the estimated 71,000 who visited the first day of the National Ploughing Championships in Cardenton, Athy, Co Kildare today were Munster players, Tommy O’Donnell, Johne Murphy and John Hayes.

And the biggest cheer of the afternoon at the well attended Glanbia stand was reserved for Hayes when he entered along with O'Donnell and Murphy.

The 'cheer of the day' claim was a close run thing because Hayes and his Munster colleagues arrived after Glanbia's Kieran O'Connor had introduced Kilkenny's All Ireland winning Tommy Walsh, the pocket-rocket half-back who played a starring role in his side's win over Tipperary in Croke Park three weeks ago.

The Munster trio were introduced to the assembled  audience by O'Connor and afterwards posed for photographs before moving down to the Munster Rugby Store manned by Tom Hartery and Denis Hurley.

They arrived after Presidential Candidate Michael D Higgins had left but not before he'd had his photograph taken with the Magners League trophy that Munster won last season.