This weekend, the Irish Steam Engine Owners Association sets out on a rare seven-day journey from Naas to Cork with a convoy of 22 steam engines. The event is being held to support Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland in a massive fundraising programme.
The steam engines will make their way to Cork along the old N7 road, leaving Tougher’s on the Newbridge Road outside Naas on Saturday 23 May and arriving in Cork on Friday 29 May. They will overnight in The Heath, Portlaoise, Durrow, Urlingford, Cashel, Mitchelstown and Rathcormac along the route.
The engines will arrive in Cork in time for the Innishannon Steam Rally at Halfway having completed their 130-mile journey.
A number of steam engines are coming from England and Scotland to participate in the event, which has been completed on two previous occasions. The first run was in 2000 and it was run again in 2010. The Irish Steam Engine Owners Association decided to shorten the interval to five years in this special fundraising drive.
The steam engines range in manufacture from the 1880s to the 1920s. The oldest engine to take part in the run will be an 1879 McLaren, owned by Tim Nagle from Kinsale.
The engines will drive at crawling speeds of up to 4mph and use thousands of litres of water and tonnes of coal to heat their boilers along the way.
Each engine will consume about 1.5t of coal on the journey. They will make regular stops to take on water, typically 10- to 12-mile intervals along the way.
The steam engine drivers will live in their wagons on the road over the week. The machines can be viewed by the public on any evening at the various overnight stop-offs along the route. They plan to visit schools on the route to give the children a taste of their agricultural heritage.
Sean O’Gorman of the Irish Steam Engine Owners Association said: “We would encourage everyone in the community to come out and support the drivers with this effort.
“There will be a chance to see some very rare machines in action, some over 100 years old and restored to their original condition.”
Border Grassmen get ready for 24-hour challenge
Border Counties Vintage Grassmen held their draw over the weekend to allocate the times for their 24-hour silage-cutting challenge that takes place at Aughnafarcon, between Castleblayney and Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, on Sunday 31 May.
Ronan Boyd (086-6033288) and Francis McBride of the club said that they have 32 single-chop silage harvesters allocated for the challenge, which starts at 4pm on Saturday May 30 and ends at 4pm the following day. The machines will work in 45-minute sessions on a 20-acre field, with no break in harvesting between the 32 outfits right through the overnight shift.
The club expects to have upwards of 30 silage harvesters working on the Sunday in an adjoining field, with demonstrations of all types of silage harvesting and hay-making machinery taking place.
Michael Hoey, Lusk, Co Dublin, will bring his trailed New Holland 717 silage harvester, while Down contractor John Dan O’Hare will bring his New Holland 1900 silage harvester to the event for the day.
This is the fourth year of the Border Counties Vintage Grassmen events and so far they have collected more than €23,000 for charity. This year’s charities include the Castleblayney Cancer Centre and the Aughnafarcon School extension programme.
Vintage Zetor or not
A reader has contacted us to establish if his Zetor 6911 two-wheel-drive Zetor tractor would qualify as a vintage tractor. He told us that the Czech brand tractor was built in 1969 and as a result it is considered to be vintage, as it is more than 30 years since its year of manufacture.
Date Event Location Contact
22-23 May100 mile tractor run – Virginia to Ballyroan Cavan/Laois 087-6329362
23 May Carnlough vintage pig race Carnlough, Armagh 0044-7963517407
23 May Tamlaght O’Crilly parish vintage rally Derry 028/048-29541134
23 May Mid-Ulster vintage car run Magherafelt, Derry 0044-7887948543
24 May Ballyroan vintage rally Laois 087-2857270
24 May North Galway vintage show Moylough, Galway 086-8510445
24 May Dromcollogher steam and vintage rally Limerick 086-8837828
29 May Seaforde Vintage Club road run Down 0044-7801980324
30 May N Ireland engine rally Patterson’s Mill, Antrim 028/048-90848154
30 May Derrygortreavy vintage rally Dungannon, Tyrone 0044-7593-915320
30 May Portglenone vintage rally Antrim 0044-7500502697
30 May Derrykeighan parish vintage rally Antrim 028/048-20741110
31 May Border Counties silage challenge Aughnafarcon, Monaghan 086-6033288
31 May Sth Leitrim/West Cavan vintage day Ballinamore, Leitrim 087-9806974
31 May/1June Innishannon steam and vintage rally Cork 021-4775808
3 June Vintage vehicle road run Ballyward, Down 0044-7818094797
5/6 June Windmill vintage 100-mile run Cavan 087-6329362
6 June Mid-Ulster vintage rally Moneymore, Tyrone 0044-7887948543
6 June Loanends Church vintage run Antrim 0044-7581 006781
6 June Drumcree vintage rally Drumcree, Armagh 028/04838337060
7 June IVETA vintage rally Swallows Quarter, Laois 086-8672664
7 June Shrule and district vintage rally Mayo 087-9826003
7 June Sperrin rally Draperstown, Tyrone 028/048-79627104