While the country is plagued by weather woes – which are having a major impact on many aspects of farming and rural life – the year is trundling on. On a lighter note, a new season of tractor rallies and road runs is getting into gear.
Just last weekend, for example, the Dublin2Mayo tractor run made its way across the entire breadth of Ireland – with a varied and eclectic mix of tractors partaking.
Easter weekend also marks the unofficial start of the vintage rally season here; for the 11th year running the Maurice Collins Memorial Rally got the ball rolling down south – in scenic Co. Kerry.
Alas, wet weather also managed to impact this event; the intended venue morphed into a quagmire following a deluge of rain. Rather than give up, the organising committee – led by Joe McCarthy – sought an alternative.
Committee chairman Joe McCarthy (right) with John O’Mahony and his Massey Ferguson 250
Luckily, John O’Carroll of Ardfert Quarry stepped in and offered the use of its site – a generous and much appreciated gesture.
Monies raised
Last year, the committee raised over €13,000 for charity. It hopes to arrive at a similar tally in 2018. Monies raised will go to Down Syndrome Ireland and the Palliative Care unit at University Hospital Kerry.
Justin Roberts was there for AgriLand to sample the atmosphere, capture these pictures and to jot down the key nuggets of information.
Click on a thumbnail in the gallery (below) to open up a full-size image; once opened you can scroll sideways to see the next picture. Refer to each caption to see useful details of each tractor.
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- County tractors have a great following in Ireland. This gleaming 1184 TW (owned by Tom Murphy) demonstrates why
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- Post-war tractors from Germany are becoming popular with collectors. This well-kept Guldner is typical of a fascinating genre
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- 134hp and 2WD can only mean a tractor built for the prairies. The fields of Kerry must seem mighty small by comparison!
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- This nicely-preserved, 1984 MF 250 is owned by John O’Mahony. It’s still in regular use on the family farm
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- Donie Mahony driving his rare 4WD Nuffield 465, with a ‘Bray’ front axle. It forms part of his extensive collection
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- Father and son team Maurice and Kevin O’Mahony brought along this John Deere 1640 (with an always-distinctive SG2 cab)
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- This 1983 International (IH) 1455XL wore over-sized tyres, bolstering its ‘presence’
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- Cockshutt produced the ’30’ model between 1946 and 1957. It was the first mass-produced tractor built in Canada
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- Zetor’s 8011 was the original Crystal. It was a completely new design and stayed in production for a remarkable 19 years
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- This incredible-looking, restored MF 35X is owned by Maurice and Kevin O’Mahony. It’s coupled to a Ferguson potato planter
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- Although greatly admired for their lugging power, Leyland tractor development fell behind its rivals. This is one of many owned by Donie Mahony
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- Muir-Hills always stand out from the crowd. This very smart 121 (owned by Tom Murphy) was a show-stopper
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- Around 150 celebratory Jubilee models of the Ford 7810 were built in 1989. This example is owned by Cullen Clifford
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- The B250 was the first fully British designed and built tractor to roll off International Harvester’s production line at Doncaster in 1955
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- Now better known for its compact diesel engines, Hatz was one of about 80 tractor makers in Germany at one time
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- No rally is complete without a Fordson Major. This very original example dates from 1958. Apparently, the engine has never been touched!
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- Introduced in 1968, the Mannheim-built John Deere 920 proved a strong seller. It had a 34hp, three-cylinder engine
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- Twin leaf spring front suspension was a notable feature of the Normag ‘Faktor’ models. This twin-cylinder Faktor ll had 24hp on tap