by the French Ambassador to Ireland Mr Jean-Pierre Thébault. McHugh is the Irish board member to the Board of the World Ploughing Organisation, where her daughter, Anna Marie McHugh, is now general secretary. In 1973, the year of McHugh's appointment as managing director, the 20th World Ploughing Contest was held in County Wexford. It was a four-day contest that was attended by 100,000 people, and in which 25 countries took part. Further World Ploughing events have since been held in Ireland with 29th World Ploughing Contest in Wexford in 1981; the 43rd World Ploughing Contest at Oak Park, County Carlow in 1996 and the 53rd World Ploughing Contest at Tullow County Carlow in 2006. In 1994, Martin Kehoe from County Wexford won the first of his three World Champion titles – in 1994 from Outram, near Dunedin, New Zealand; in 1995 from Egerton, Njoro, Kenya and in 1999 from Pomacle, France. The only other Irish World Champion (apart from first winner, Charlie Keegan) was Eamonn Tracey, winning in Saint Jean D'Illac, France in 2014. By 2014, the event had become one of the largest outdoor annual events in Europe. NPA records indicate that, in 1975, the number of national exhibitors was 100, the number of counties competing was 21 and the number of demonstrators was 18. By 1978, the championships returned to County Kilkenny - this time to the village where Anna May McHugh's predecessor, Seán O'Farrell, was born, Knocktopher. Attendance figures grew steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s until 1988, when the event was expanded to 3 days in order to cater for heavy traffic due to escalating attendances. According to NPA records, the Irish Countrywomen's Association and Country Markets started giving cookery and craft demonstrations at the shows around this time. Other events added in the 1980s included a fashion show in 1981, shopping and business arcades in 1985 and the 'Nissan Classic' in 1989. Between 2000 and 2011, the Ploughing Championships had grown to 180,000 spectators, 320 competitors, 1,100 exhibitors, 14 shopping arcades and was by then generating €10m for the local Irish economy. As of 2014/2015, the event's costs were in the region of €3.5 million, and there were ploughing associations in every county in Ireland. With an average of 180,000 spectators, the NPA attendance has grown from the 3,000 that attended in 1932 to over 280,000 in the 2010s. Some outlets have described the National