Ballacolla, Co Laois, the picturesque village close to Birr, Co Offaly, will get the first real "cut" of the new millennium in September 2000.
That is because it is to stage the first National Ploughing Championships of the new century. It will have as its theme "Youth for the Future".
The announcement that Ballacolla will host the event, which attracts up to 20,000 people over three days, was made earlier this week at a function in Abbeyleix.
Anna May McHugh, the managing director/secretary of the National Ploughing Association, said it was fitting that Ballacolla should host the first millennium ploughing championships.
She reminded the audience that the headquarters of the National Ploughing Association had been in Co Laois for the past 40 years.
Anna May, who is pivotal to the success of the occasion, which is now the largest outdoor event of its kind in Europe and the largest ploughing championships in the world, is a native of the county.
Ballacolla already hosted the championships, five years ago on the farm of David and Heather Lalor, but next year, another local farmer, Robin Talbot, will also be giving his land.
This is because the event has grown so dramatically and requires even more space for the ploughing and ancillary events which take place around it.
Anna May said a number of adjoining farmers will be involved by providing car parking and other facilities for the event.
The championships will start on September 26th, 2000 and will run to September 28th. Based on previous years, Ballacolla will have to host upwards of 200,000 visitors who will inject at least £20 million into the local economy.
Meanwhile, plans are well advanced for the holding of the last ploughing championships of the year, at Castletownroche, Mallow, Co Cork from September 28th-30th. A 74-acre site has been set aside for exhibition and livestock showing at the Cork venue, which will cover over 300 acres, excluding car parking facilities.