Pioneers vowing and ploughing

The Pioneers’ Heroic Offering, first made 120 years ago by Fr James Cullen in St Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast,  drew hundreds of Pioneers to a jubilee Mass on the same spot. Cardinal Daly presided, Bishop Farquhar led the celebration, and Fr Raymond McCullagh preached. Across the Border, in Athy, hundreds more visited the Pioneer stand at the National Ploughing Championships, a show which attracted 80,000 people a day. Many of these visitors were young adults who saw the Pioneers as an organisation that could support them with the choices they have made around alcohol. The Association is reflecting on this year’s experience and planning ahead.

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