Exploring the working lives and personal narratives of eight agricultural contracting families over a 12-month period, ‘Contractors’ offers a unique, practical and personal insight into contemporary life in rural Ireland.
Featuring eight contracting crews from Wicklow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Armagh, Donegal and Mayo, the series highlights their professional challenges; the highs and lows of their daily routine; and their hopes and dreams.
The programme explores how they deal with shrinking margins and logistical challenges, all the while trying to balance work and family life.
Contractors
Contracting business Ivan Megaw & Son Ltd is based just outside the village of Poyntzpass on the Down-Armagh border. The operation is run by Willie Megaw, the third generation of contractors in the family, along with his dad, Ivan. In addition to their contracting business, they farm 500-600 acres for beef and tillage.
In Bandon, Co Cork, there is a very busy outfit by the name of Tony O’Mahony Agri, Plant and Haulage. This is a family operation consisting of dad Tony and his four sons, Diarmuid, Seán, Mícheal and Séamus. They do everything from ploughing, spreading slurry, dung, hedge cutting, to plant and haulage.
In Donard, Co. Wicklow, the Walshe triplets, Patrick, Edward and James, run their own agri and plant-hire business. Their late father originally set up the business but died suddenly a few years ago. The lads have been in the business since they could walk and have a huge passion for what they do.
Just over the road from the triplets in Dunlavin, Co. Wicklow, is Mark Daynes, who runs a contracting and tillage business with his dad and sister. He has a few full-time staff working for him, and his brother helps during the summer months. Interestingly, he takes rejected Guinness from Diageo and keeps it in a lagoon on their land before spreading it like slurry on their own land, and for clients too.
In Kinsealy, north Dublin, cabbage-grower Eamonn Murphy and his son, Shane, grow 100 acres of cabbage, as well as some potatoes and barley. They have all their own machinery to work the land. They have a contract with Dunnes to supply York & Sweetheart Cabbage.
In Athy, Co. Kildare, brothers Kevin, Brendan and John O’Gorman run a large potato-growing operation called Johnstown Produce. Around 350 acres of potatoes are harvested annually and supplied to Aldi. They have their own washing and processing plant onsite, and plenty machinery. Brendan also runs a dairy farm using robots, while Kevin and John also have tillage, providing some barley for Guinness.
Collins Plant Hire is based in the Gaeltacht area of Tuar Mhic Éadaigh, Co. Mayo, and is owned by cattle and sheep farmer Kevin Collins. The business is predominantly run by himself, with a few staff taken on during the summer. Contracting for 30 years, Kevin does slurry, silage, bales, lime-spreading and groundwork.
Season three starts on Thursday 17 September at 9.30pm and will be shown on TG4.
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