Father and son drove from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Co Donegal over three days, starting on St Patrick’s Day. The duo set off from Mizen Head at 7.45am on the Friday, and drove 300km, arriving in Ennis, Co Clare late in the evening. They set off again at 9am the next morning, covering 340km. It took them another 60km to get to Malin Head in Donegal on Sunday morning.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Paul Molloy, a chef who farms with his father Joe near Maghera in Co Derry, said the 4WD Valtra tractor, which has been in the family since 2006, drove perfectly for them.

“She never missed a beat,” he said.

Support

Paul added that friends and family have been very supportive of the duo ever since they decided to do the trek back in November.

“We had set up a crowdfunding website for donations but most of the money came in from neighbours and friends. My father went from door to door and it really spread in the end through word of mouth.”

The overall target was £10,000 but the father and son have exceeded this by £13,000, raising £23,000 altogether.

We were overwhelmed by the support from family and friends

The money will be split between Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt and the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, Sands. Sands is a charity close to Paul’s heart after the support they provided Paul and his family after the death of his infant son Jack only a few minutes after his birth in 2014.

Paul said he was overwhelmed by the support from family and friends and was happy to do something different and raise money for the two charities over St Patrick’s Day weekend.

Save the date for silage record attempt

Farmers raise £23,000 for charity with tractor trek

Father and son, Paul and Joe Molloy, have raised £23,000 for two charities close to their heart by driving their 4WD Valtra tractor the length of the country.