For James McCormack (11), a native of Kilmore, Co Wexford, learning to work with tractors is his passion. His grandfather, also James McCormack, owns a farm nearby with horses and cattle, and for as long as young James can remember, he has been interested in everything farm-related, but most of all, the tractors.

“Ever since I was born, I just loved tractors. My grandad was always taking me on runs in the tractor with him when I was little, and he even made me a special seat that I could sit in when I was smaller. We still have the seat, but I’m too big for it now, so my little cousin uses it,” says James. “I’m too young to do proper tractor runs, so I’ll do them when I’m 16, and I’m really looking forward to it. I want to be a dairy farmer when I grow up, because I really like the cows, but for now, I’m spending most of my time helping out my cousin and my grandad.”

It’s hard work sometimes and I can be wrecked at the end of the day, but it’s great. It’s going to be red when it’s all finished, just like my grandad’s

James’ grandfather owns two tractors and his cousin, Matt White, who also lives on the farm, has six. His grandfather, in particular, has instilled a deep love for the vehicles in James and their current project involves restoring a vintage Massey Ferguson 35 tractor.

“My grandad has a Massey Ferguson 35 and we’re doing one up at the minute for me. Mine is the exact same, and it’s nice to know I’ll have the same one as him,” says James. “It’s in the garage now and we have a lot of work to do for it. When we bought it, it was really old and all rusty, so we’ve been working on it for more than two months now to strip it down. When it’s done and I’m older, I’ll be driving it around to do jobs in the fields. My cousin Matt goes on the tractor runs and my grandad does them for charity too, so I want to do them when I’m older too.”

Special bond

Explaining that he enjoys getting to spend this time with his grandfather, James says that the fact that he’ll have the exact same tractor as him is something very special. And while James doesn’t live on the farm with his grandad and cousin, he spends most of his time there helping them out. James’ mum, Rachel McCormack, says that her son and her father have a special bond, which is part of why they spend so much time restoring the tractor together.

“James was actually named after my dad. I think Dad was excited to have a boy in the family because I have two sisters and they have daughters, so it’s great for him to finally have a chap to go around with. It’s really lovely to see the bond they have, and now that James is on summer holidays, he’s gone over to him at around 9am in the morning and then I might not see him all day,” explains Rachel McCormack. “The restoration project is getting there slowly but surely, and they’re both really loving it. Dad retired shortly after James was born and then he started to do tractor runs to raise money for charity, and I think that’s been really good for James to see too.”

With James spending lots of his time restoring the tractor with his grandfather - a project that could take more than a year, he reckons – his days are completely full up. Currently, the engine is completely out of the vehicle and they’re sourcing new parts, but James says it’s time well spent.

“It’s hard work sometimes and I can be wrecked at the end of the day, but it’s great. It’s going to be red when it’s all finished, just like my grandad’s. It will look the exact same, with a grey ring for the tyres and everything,” explains James. “I don’t think this will be my last tractor project because I love working on them so much. My dream tractor is probably a John Deere 753, I really like them. There can be a bit of competition between Massey people and Deere people, so I haven’t told my grandad that. I’m not sure if he’ll be too happy that a Deere is the dream tractor, but he’ll probably just laugh.”

It’s clear that there’s a serious passion for the industry that’s been instilled in him via his grandfather and his cousin. He’ll go into fifth class come September, but the work ethic he’s learned is sure to stay with him as he grows. In fact, his most recent school teacher, Donal Keane, shares a love for tractors too and the pair have spent their free time in school chatting about.

“Two of my friends and I are always talking about tractors the whole time and Mr Keane has his own tractor, so he talks to us about them too,” says James. “It’s cool to have a teacher who likes the same things as you.”

While James’ says his plan is to finish up the tractor as soon as they can so that he and his grandad can take it out, it’s likely the project will take him through at least some of the next school year. Hard work takes time, but for James McCormack and his family, it’s something they’ve come together over.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned from my grandad and my cousin while working on the farm and the tractor is about how hard it all is,” explains James. “We’re going to be kept really busy for the next few months, especially because we have to get new stuff for the engine and all. It’s a lot of work to do, but I enjoy it.”