Tag Archives: combine

De Courcey Harvest Working Day 2022

De Courcey Harvest Working Day will take place on the Hayes Farm, Kilkerran, Ballinspittle, Co. Cork on Bank Holiday Monday 1st August 2022.

Old time tillage and harvest working displays. Competition ploughing. Static displays of stationary engines, cars, tractors and commercial vehicles

Harvest Day Launch


The August Bank Holiday Monday is almost upon us and excitement is growing in DeCourcey Country. We have a change of venue this year as the annual Harvest Working day moves to the farm of Derry Desmond in Harbour View, Kilbrittain.

On the evening of Tuesday 18th July, the De Courcey Vintage Club members, gathered with Friends of Bandon Community Hospital and the Ballinspittle Comhaltas group to attend the official launch of the Harvest day at the wonderful new site overlooking Courtmacsherry bay on the Wild Atlantic Way.

The large site will have plenty of space to accommodate the usual working areas with continuous displays of harvesting, tilling, and horse work throughout the day. Visitors to previous events will be aware of the range of machines from horse drawn reapers to trailer combines and early self-propelled models to modern giant harvesters that will be seen working on the day. Each year the number of machines grows and we are looking forward to seeing some recently restored vintage combines doing their thing at our event for the first time.

This year we will also have silage cutting which is a first for De Courcey’s and we are really excited about it. The emphasis will be on vintage and rare machines but Claas Farm Machinery will also be using the event to promote their latest silage harvesters. The Claas display will also be a must see for all tractor and machinery fans. We will be very fortunate to be able to display the latest Claas Jaguar 970 silage harvester working at the event. A big De Courcey thanks to Claas agent, Tim McCarthy of McCarthy plant and agri. sales Carriogtwohill for his support.

All working combines must register before the event. Silage cutting slots will be allocated before the event but anyone bringing equipment will be able to display in the static area.
For up to date Club News and entry forms, please check the facebook page or our website www.decourceyvintage.com.

Bill Chambers P.R.O. DeCourcey Classic and Vintage Club. 087 2844197.

Harvest Day 2017

John O’Neill, Derry Desmond and Simon Draper from DeCourcey Vintage Club inspect the crop at Harbour view, Kilbrittain, site of this year’s harvest day on the August Bank Holiday.

The De Courcey Harvest working day will take place on the August bank holiday Monday. This year the event will be held at a new site in Harbour View, Kilbrittain, Co Cork. It will take place on the farm of De Courcey Club member Derry Desmond. The club is most grateful to Derry for making the site available to us.

Ever since the hugely successful 2013 Harvest day celebrating the 100th anniversary of Claas farm machinery, the De Courcey Classic and Vintage Club has had close contact with the Claas company. We are delighted to announce that in 2017 we will once again be running the event in partnership with Claas. This year will feature many new additions to the range of exhibits and as always the focus will be on activity, with a huge array of vintage machines working at the event.

Claas are launching their latest silage harvester in the jaguar range the 970 in November 2017. Two of these machines have already been sold pre- launch in the West Cork region. It will be possible to see one these machines working at the De Courcey event. The 970 will be working alongside older harvesters to emphasise the vastly increased capacity of the new machine.

Some of the new activities at this year’s Harvest Day will include silage cutting with a selection of machines including single chop, double chop, precession cut up to self-propelled. Rare machines will be seen working, types like the Dania D5000 self- propelled and Hesston Field Queen self- propelled and star of the show will of course be the latest jaguar 970 .

Claas will have a significant presence at this event with sales stand, machinery displays, merchandising etc. Tim McCarthy from McCarthy plant and agri sales, Carrigtwohill will be on hand to answer any questions people may have about the Claas range of machines.

We look forward to fine weather and a great day out on Monday 7th August in Kilbrittain.

www.decourceyvintage.com and FB.com/decourceyvintageclub.

De Courcey Harvest Day 2015 Event Report (The Miracle in Ballinadee)

Ballinspittle in De Courcey Country is famous for miracles but the 3rd of August 2015 saw a miracle happen in Ballinadee on the other side of the parish. After prolonged heavy rain on the previous night the Bank Holiday Monday dawned with sunshine and a fresh breeze to dry out the corn for the annual harvest working day.

By midday conditions were perfect for cutting and lasted for the full day however in the evening time when the harvest was complete the opening in the weather vanished and down again came the heavy rain.
The De Courcey harvest working day is now in its fifth year. Previously the event has been held at Barrell’s Cross, Kinsale but this year it was held on the land of Paddy and Anne McCarthy in Ballinadee. The McCarthy family have a long association with farming, machinery and especially harvest equipment.
The theme selected for the 2015 harvest day was “A century of change” and featured horse drawn machines right up to modern combine harvesters. The official opening was performed my Mr Michael Moroney of the Irish Farmers Journal.

 

On arriving at the site visitors were met by a line-up of vintage combines all oiled and greased having been prepared in advance for the big day. But before the combines took to the fields, the day’s action began in the tilling area with vintage tractors joining Donal McCarthy’s Clysdale horses ploughing and tilling at the top of the field. Also in this section was Tommy Hales with his Lanz Bulldog. Alongside the tilling area O Sullivan’s thresher from Caheragh was lining up with Lordon’s steam engine from Bandon.

Finally the last of the tractors arrived for the static display and the cutting began. First away were the older trailed combines and the smaller self-propelled machines. Among these were several Massey Fergusons including the 1986 MF16 owned by Marcus McKenna and Dan Joe O Sullivan. This machine previously belonged to the Dept. of Agriculture and was used on the experimental crop plots. Also in this group was Jim Connolly’s 1969 Ransomes Cavalier 902 a rare machine indeed in this country.

As the combine worked away Con Ahern with help from the O’Donoughue family tackled up a team of three draught horses to the reaper and binder. The binder originally belonged to his father and was on loan for the harvest day. The sight of three horses working as a team to pull the binder drew a large crowd.

When the older combines finished up, the yellow machines took over. There were various New Hollands including the landowner Paddy McCarthy in his 1974, 1530 model. This machine was bought from Henry Goods in Kinsale in 1976. Paddy was only sixteen years of age at the time and is still working the same combine. The crowds were well entertained into the afternoon with the bigger machines making short work of the remaining corn.

Throughout the day music and entertainment was to be had at the grandstand. The picnic area was full with people enjoying food from several outlets set up for the day. The static display had an impressive line-up of tractors and cars. Some nice landrovers attended including Kieran Sisk with his impressive 1979 series three and caravan combination, a familiar sight on the rally circuit. Also in the static area was John Sullivan from Sandycove with the 1973 Dania D5000 self-propelled silage harvester which he has owned since 1974.

When all thought the day was over there was a surprise in store. The combine harvesters were not loading up for the trip home just yet. They were setting up in the next field to cut in formation for the benefit of the many spectators who were taking photographs.

When the cutting was over and the last combine shut down the crowd gathered for the draw to see who would be making the trip to Paris. When the draw was over people gathered around the picnic area. Combine men came to have some well-earned food from the barbeque, a cup of tea or something stronger after the day following their machines.

The talk amongst everyone was about the miraculous break in the weather and how once again De Courceys managed a successful and memorable Harvest Day.The Club would like to thank the McCarthy Family and the Twomey Family for their support in running the event and thanks also to the army of volunteers who every year turn out to help us. We look forward to 2016 and another Harvest.

Prizes from DeCourcey Harvest Day draw as follows.
Holiday to Disneyland Paris.
Sponsored by Barters travel Bandon.
Winner Cally O Leary, Kinsale.

Weekend in Killarney.
Sponsored by International Hotel.
Winner John Sutton.

Golf 4 Ball at Kinsale Golf Club.
Winner Julia Flynn, Ballinadee.

All Ireland Tickets,
Sponsored by Courcey Rovers Rovers GAA Club.
Winner Donal Twomey.

Meal for two,
Speckled Door Old Head.
Winner Martina Coughlan.

All Systems Go!

Despite the weather it is all systems go for the event.

German manufacture Claas will be celebrating their 100 years of manufacturing with De Courcey Classic & Vintage Club this August Bank Holiday Monday at their annual Harvest Working Day.

This event will cover all methods of harvesting going back over 100 years from cutting with the scythe, horse mowing machines, reapers and binders and the full range of Claas models from the beginning to the present day. It will also feature hand stone grinding wheels as well as various threshing methods.

Also on the day a auction of various artifacts and a book signed by Helmut Claas.

All machines on a 35 acre site, all working on the day.

Claas Day Planned

This year’s De Courcey Vintage Club Harvest Working Day at Barrels Cross in Co Cork on 5 August is to be the focal point of Class’ centenary celebrations in Ireland.
The event, which will supported by Claas, will celebrate the German manufacturer’s 100th anniversary with a large display of vintage, classic and modern Claas equipment, including combines, both trailed and self-propelled, balers and other harvesting equipment.
A copy of Class’ new centenary book, 100 years of harvesting excellence, signed by no less than Helmut Claas, will be auctioned for charity.
May 2013 Classic Tractor Magazine.
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