A Ferguson-Brown with iron wheels from 1936 and a crab-steer are among the exhibits at the tractor museum dedicated to the life of Harry Ferguson, which was officially opened in Kilrush, Co. Clare, on March 18.
Located adjacent to the Museum of Irish Rural Life on the Cooraclare Road in Kilrush, the museum was created by Joe Whelan whose family have run a Massey Ferguson dealership for 57 years.
Edenderry man William Judge from AGCO UK officially opened the museum, which showcases a selection of tractors from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Joe combined his passion for history and tractors to provide the museum alongside his Museum of Irish Rural Life, at his own expense.
“It is a continuation of the progress in Irish farming,” he said.
All sourced by the Irish speaking octogenarian, the tractors are in working order and were restored over a period of 50 years. Pride of place goes to the Ferguson Brown which his sons, Kevin and Joseph, gave him as a suprise for his 70th birthday.
The rare tractor was sourced from a specialist dealer in England and Joe had been searching for one for 30 years.
The museum has been brought to life by the paintings of Cortney Westhoff O’Farrell, who depicted the life story of Harry Ferguson.
Co. Down native Harry Ferguson invented the hydraulic lift and revolutionised agricultural machinery. He is renowned for the Massey Ferguson tractor.
Joe with his wealth of historical and machinery knowledge, was keen to preserve the tractors of the past.
“When I retired from the business about 12 years ago and handed it over to my sons, I knew I was too active to sit down,” said Joe, who worked as an aircraft engineer before going into the machinery business.
“My family was always involved in the machinery business, going back to the 1940s. My father worked for a Ford dealership in Buffalo in the US and my mother also worked in America.
“There was a strike in Ford and my father lost his job. He worked for the gas company before coming back to the family farm in 1936 when Ireland was in the doldrums,” he said.
The Museum of Rural Life is an educational experience, brimful of artefacts and historically significant pieces. They include black bog oak that is 8,000-years-old and an old plough that was made in Kilrush.
The building operated as a poultry farm and egg store throughout the early 20th century, the story which is told in the museum.
A bust of President John F. Kennedy, which was presented to Joe when he was in the Air Corps and took part in a guard of honour for JFK when he visited Ireland in 1963, is included in the museum.
Both museums are open seven days a week, from 9:00a.m to 6:00p.m. Entry is free but donations are gratefully accepted.