Tag Archives: ploughing

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.

Historical Talk & Film show

De Courcey Vintage Club present a Historical talk & film show about the 1954 World Ploughing in Killarney & other events by Mr Robert Kidd, with special guest newly elected chairman of the National Ploughing Association, Mr Denis Keohane,  at Kilmacsimon Community Centre on Monday 1st May at 8pm

A Century of Change

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De Courcey Classic and vintage Club, building on the success of the Claas Centenary and the New Holland Basildon 50 celebrations are once again planning a major event for the 2015 August Bank Holiday Monday.

The theme for this year’s event will be “A century of Change”. As in previous years it will of course be a working day. Visitors will be able to see teams of horses working with implements and machinery from bygone farming days as well as the giant harvesters of today and everything in between.

Continuing with our commitment to supporting local causes, this year funds raised will once again go to several local groups in De Courcey’s parish but our main beneficiary will be the ‘Friends of Jamie Wall Trust Fund”.

Friends of Jamie Wall 

Jamie Wall is a local young teacher who led a very active life and was much involved in the GAA, playing both hurling and football for Cork in Under 21’s and Minors. Unfortunately Jamie suffered a severe illness in 2014 which left him requiring a great deal of care. ‘The friends of Jamie Wall’ fund was set up to raise funds to support Jamie’s rehabilitation and aid in his goal of once again living an independent life.

The team at De Courcey’s look forward to fine weather on the August Bank Holiday Monday and a great day at our new site in Ballinadee to celebrate the ‘Century of Change’.

Bill Chambers PRO.

Contact John 087 2667296 or Martin 087 6060777.

 

New site for De Courcey Harvest Day 2015

The De Courcey Classic and Vintage Club held a meeting on 1st Oct last to discuss the venue for our 2015 harvest day on the August bank Holiday Monday. The last four years has seen this event grow and grow in size.

The sponsor for 2014 was New Holland Agriculture and was once again a very successful day thanks in no small part to excellent weather with an attendance of over six thousand spectators.

In previous years the Harvest day has been hosted by Jim and Eileen O’Regan at Barrels Cross near Kinsale. Jim was the person who came up with the original idea for the unique vintage event and his family have pulled out all the stops to make sure the events ran flawlessly.

De Courcey Vintage Club is most grateful to the O’Regan family for the last four years and look forward to returning to Barrels Cross in the future.

2015 however will be different as a new site has been identified adjacent to Ballinadee village on land belonging to Paddy and Ann McCarthy. The new site will be an exciting challenge for the Club members with a new layout to be planned. The preparation for Monday 3rd Aug 2015 is already under way.

newlocation2015

Contact Martin 087 6060777, John 2667296

Harvest Day 2014 Event Report

The hard working team of the De Courcey Classic and Vintage club are just settling down and relaxing, after the excitement of yet another wonderful August Bank Holiday ‘Harvest Day’ at Barrel’s Cross, Kinsale.

Once again in 2014 crowds flocked to the farm of Jim and Eileen O’Regan at Coolyrahilly, Barrel’s Cross, Kinsale in County Cork. The many thousands who attended the event were not disappointed as the club committee and sponsors Mc & S Agri Sales Ltd, had prepared a very special day indeed. Of course with Mc & S on the team Courceys had to abandon their traditional red and white colours for the blue and yellow of Ford and New Holland.

The day started early with ploughs, harrows and tilling at midday followed by the teams of horses mowing, binding and drawing sheaves in the traditional harvest section. The vintage Claas, M.F’s Dronningberg, and Dania harvesters then started their own display.

A break in activity was called at 1PM for the opening ceremony. The crowd was addressed by John O’Neill (Club Chairman), Jim O’Regan (landowner) and John McCarthy of Mc&S. The official opening was then performed by Mr Andrew Watson C.E.O. of New Holland UK and Ireland, who had travelled to Ireland especially for the event.

Then it was down to work! A range of Ford and New Holland tractors from Keith Byran’s 1918 model F, to Jim O’Regan’s 2014 T7.260, gave an unforgettable display of ploughing. Donal McCarthy’s team of Clydesdale horses were joined by Fordson model F’s, N’s, Ford Nans, Majors and Dextas with a mixture of trailer and hydraulic ploughs. The thousand series up to the modern T6’s and T7’s with their huge reversible were all represented. There was plenty for the tractor enthusiast to enjoy and lots of cameras were out to capture the occasion. The final sequence in the ploughing area was a spectacular line up of the 24 participants in a single line spanning 96 years of progress.

With the ploughing out of the way, the Claeys, Claysons and New Holland combines took up position for a unique formation harvesting display of 16 combines with Kinsale Harbour and the sea in the distance behind them. The earliest machine on site was a 1963 Claeys M103 owned by Michael Ryan, Ballinscarthy and the most modern was a 2014 New Holland CX6090 owned by Leonard Draper of Dunmanway. New Holland combines from each decade in between were present.

As all this activity was taking place visitors were able take a break in the picnic area at the food village which occupied a central location in the 35 Acre field. Delicious food was served all day by local West Cork food outlets and many people returned several times to try out the different wares. The De Courcey tea tent was an especially busy place with many exhibitors and visitors having a cuppa and catching up with acquaintances for a chat.

In tune with the harvest theme, there was an impressive display of various milling machines from horse operated threshing machines to engine and tractor driven mills. Raymond White from Ballinspittle was kept busy all day demonstrating how the hand operated kern stones produced flour from wheat.

A fine display of vintage cars, trucks and tractors was on site. The tractors were of course dominated by the blue of the Fords. Many early Fordsons were also present. New Holland had a full range of modern machines at the event and the merchandise shop did tremendous business out all day.

After the final harvesting displays completed the raffle was held. Prizes included three months use of a New Holland Tractor, a weekend break and a New Holland gift pack. Mr Andrew Watson was then called to cut a specially commissioned cake commemorating 50 years of tractor production at the Basildon UK plant.

De Courcey Classic and Vintage Club would like to thank the members, sponsors, landowner, local groups and individuals and the many people who contributed in all sorts of ways for their support in 2014.

The proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to Marymount Hospice, Ballinspittle and Ballinadee primary schools and to Courcey Rovers GAA underage teams.

Layout & Timetable

2014_layout

Timetable

12:00 Arena 5: Cutting sect, horse mowing machines, horse reaper and binder, threshing with horses, cutting and binding by hand, tillage

12:30 Arena No 4: Other Harvesting

13:00 Opening Ceremony

14:15 Arena 1 Ploughing

14:15 Arena 5 Threshing & Milling

14:45 Arena 2 New Holland Harvesting

16:30 Raffle/Birthday cake ceremony

17:00 Arena 3 Grand Finale

*Times Subject to change