All Proceeds in Aid of Self-Help

 

Background

In 1997, the Cornafean Community Vintage Association was founded by a group of people with an interest in preserving some of the area’s rich heritage, culture, and farming methods of bygone days.

The first Vintage Ploughing and Field Day in Cornafean was held on 29th August 1997 and this was a great success with a large attendance present. Since then, the event has been held annually in late August, each time on Tom McSeain’s lands at Drumcoghill. In 1999, the attractions included an exhibition of horse ploughing by Jim Elliott, Aberdeen, Scotland, who has twice won titles at the World Ploughing Championships.

All proceeds of the annual Vintage Days go to the Self Help third world charity, originally founded in response to the Ethiopian famine.

Vintage Day 2000

On Saturday 26th August 2000, the fourth annual Cornafean Vintage Ploughing and Field Day was held on the lands of Tom McSeain at Drumcoghill.

The event was formally opened by Bernard Martin, County Chairman of I.F.A., and all proceeds were in aid of "Self Help" the third world development charity.

A great variety of attractions were on show, to suit all age groups. There was special interest in the various ploughing exhibitions, including Horse Ploughing, Vintage Tractor Ploughing and scoring, and demonstrations of mule and jennet ploughing.

The attendance of over six hundred people also enjoyed exhibitions of many other agricultural activities of a bygone era, including threshing, vintage baling, loy digging, horse shoeing, thatching, cross-cut sawing, wood turning and one of Ireland’s oldest oldest tinsmiths in Ireland was also present displaying his talents at this ancient craft. There were also demonstrations of many traditional household tasks, such as baking, churning and butter making, as well as the the traditional activity of stone-building.

All proceeds from the event were in aid of "Self Help", the Third World Development Charity. This charity was set up in response to the Ethiopian famine in the mid-1980's and since then has been doing great work in the in the third world, concentrating on long-term famine prevention through training and education. The day's proceedings concluded with a Vintage Dance in McSeain's on Saturday night.

Some Local Vintage Enthusiasts

Terry started threshing in the country in 1954 with a Garvey threser and a T.V.O. tractor. He moved on to a Ransome threser and finally a Marshall. He stopped threshing in 1974. Those were good old days when a meitheal of seven or eight men would gather to help. In the early days the crop was mostly oats. This then changed to barley in latter years. He displays his skills at field days and vintage displays with the help of this three sons and neighbours.

As a ploughman for the past sixty years, John has won prizes for both the youngest and oldest ploughman in England, Scotland and Ireland (North & South). He was the to introduce donkey and mule ploughing in this country. He has represented Cavan in the All-Ireland Ploughing Champions on numerous occasions.

Jody left school when he was 13 years old to work in Wateraughey Mill. He earned 10/= p.w. less a stamp. He stayed there for four years, and then he started pig dealing in the early twenties and travelled all over the country.

In her young days it was usual for women working on farms to wear a bag apron. These aprons were made from 10 stone jute bags in which meal for hens or pigs came. Apart from keeping clothes clean they had many other uses. They were used to carry potatoes, vegetables and turf as well as to lift hot pots and lids off the fire.

Kathleen Fitzsimons died unexpectedly in December 1999 R.I.P.

When we were young flour used for baking was much more coarse then it is today and sieved it through a silk stocking. They mixed soda bread with freshly churned buttermilk and saved some of the flour for making potato bread and boxty. The bread was baked in a cast iron oven over an open fire for approx. 45 minutes with coals under and over the oven. Eel skins would be used by men to cure a "thalla" in the wrist as well as tying a staff and supple of a fhail to fhail oats in the barn.

Typical List of events on Vintage Days  - 1997 to date.

In late 1999, the Cornafean Vintage Association, produced a video entitled "Cornafean – Capturing the Past to Build a New Future into the New Millennium". The video includes a wealth of local features of local interest including extensive aerial footage of the local drumlin and lakeland scenery, coverage of the 1999 Cornafean Vintage Ploughing and Field Day, footage of Cavan’s victories in the 1933 and 1947 All Ireland finals, reflections on the social and religious heritage of the area, profiles of local historical figures, coverage of the work of the "Self Help" charity in the Third World, and a recitation, of one of his own poems, by local bard Sean Masterson.

The overall production is of an extremely high standard, and the highly professional approach of the producers and presenters is clearly evident throughout. 

In the coming years, the video will become a treasured memento of the area and its people, and should act as a major catalyst for local tourism well into the new Millennium. A limited number of copies, priced at £12, are still available for purchase from any committee member. There are also some copies available in the USA NTSC video format, which priced at £15 each.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please contact any member of the committee or email to cornafeanvintage@eircom.net Delivery can be arranged without difficulty to anywhere in the world.

Mr. Griffith Black (right) presents J.J. Taylor's 1901 medal to Brendan Corr & Dessie Harrington (left) on behalf of Cornafean Vintage Ploughing Association

The formation of the Cornafean Vintage Ploughing Association in 1997 lead to a great resurgence of interest in ploughing in thr locality. Previously, the last ploughing recorded in the area was at Coronea on 24th February 1938 and in Cordonan on 16th February 1939. Earlier, on the 23rd February 1901, after a lapse of seventeen years, a county ploughing match was held at Edenticlare outside Cavan town on the lands of the local vet, Mr. W. Dawson. The event was promoted by Messrs. T. Pollock, W. Dawson and Terence Farrelly. The overall winner that day was 22 year old J.J. Taylor, Farragh, Crossdoney who was presented with a silver medal by Mr. P.P McCutcheon, Cavan. In 1998, JJ Taylor's nephew Griffith Black, formerly of Black's Victuallers, Bridge Street, Cavan and now residing in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, presented this medal to the Cornafean Vintage Ploughing Association with this medal.

J.J. Taylor was an agricultural contractor and kept eight plough horses at Faragh. He was one of the founding members of the auctioneering firm, Taylor and Tweedy which was founded in 1918. He died at the relatively young age of 56.