Many farmers displayed a keen interest in restoring their family furniture at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, according to a Co. Tipperary man who exhibited a fascinating collection of Irish vernacular furniture at the event.
Tony Donoghue from Terryglass, Nenagh, formerly a zoologist at the Natural History Museum in London, has been studying Irish vernacular furniture for over 20 years.
He showcased the subject in his stop-motion animated short film ‘Irish Folk Furniture’ which took home the coveted short-film jury prize for animation at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.
Tony exhibited the Nolan kitchen at this year’s National Ploughing Championships which included a large brown dresser from Lacken, Terryglass, Nenagh.
“The home of Mary Nolan (1899-1996) was the last inhabited thatched house in the parish of Terryglass-Kilbarron in Co. Tipperary. The house, which dated to the late 18th or early 19th century, originally had only two rooms – a kitchen and a bedroom – but was given a third room at a later date,” he said.
The house is now in ruins. Fortunately, given its significance, Tony brought together again its vernacular furniture and recreated the kitchen in the Ploughing so that visitors from around the country and abroad could appreciate chairs, a dresser, a mug rack and a table which, while of little commercial value, are regarded as being of immeasurable cultural and social interest.
The furniture was dressed with crockery, kitchen utensils, ornaments and religious items, many of which were in Mary Nolan’s original items.
Amazing coincidence at Ploughing
A story that emerged at the final day of the Ploughing Championships was that of Mary Coen’s yellow dresser which came from Ballinderry, Nenagh.
“Some American children were looking at a dresser I had on display. They were then joined by their grandmother who asked if they could have a photograph taken with the dresser,” Tony said.
In an amazing coincidence, the dresser had belonged to the woman’s grandmother.
“This dresser I had retrieved as a complete wreck. It had been thrown out and I got it after two months in a hedgerow in 2011. You couldn’t make this up,” Tony laughed.
Tony explained to visitors to his stand what makes Irish dressers uniquely Irish and pointed out details and features characteristic of particular regions of the country.
He told Agriland that he enjoyed the chance to meet and speak with those who might have similar items of painted rural furniture in their homes.
Interest in restoring furniture
Tony, who exhibited with the built heritage unit of the Department of Housing and Heritage in the Government of Ireland village in the centre of the National Ploughing Championships campus, said he was surprised and delighted with the interest shown in his display.
“People, including young people, were all so lovely and so respectful,” he said.
“They just loved the display and I helped at least 14 elderly farmers with the potential restoration of their family furniture.
“The biggest issue is always the same. People don’t realise just how restorable vernacular or folk items are and it’s not very expensive to do so,” Tony remarked.
“The rural Irish tradition was always for farmer carpenters to repair their neighbours’ furniture and that’s why Sean Gleeson from Terryglass, who was with me on the first two days of the championships was a farmer carpenter in the film ‘Irish Folk Furniture,” he said.