Vice Chair hosts a reception for Ballygawley and Roscavey Bygone Farming Days

Recently the Vice Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Allan Rainey MBE, hosted a reception for Ballygawley and Roscavey Bygone Farming Days Group.

The following is a copy of the speech delivered by the Vice Chair at the reception:

Ladies and gentlemen

As Vice Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, I am delighted to welcome you all to The Grange, Omagh for this reception in honour of Ballygawley and Roscavey Bygone Farming Days.

The Group was formed on the back of the Ballygawley Cancer Research Group being rejuvenated by my late wife Aberta “Bertie” to raise much needed funds as a result of her illness in 1990.

The first events was hosted on the farm of Mr and Mrs John McCrystal at Roscavey, Beragh, hence the name of the group becoming Ballygawley and Roscavey Bygone Farming Days.

When the group was formed, a key focus was vintage farming methods including ploughing with horses and vintage tractors and threshing.  Throughout the group’s existence, vintage cars and vans remained very popular.

Another popular feature of the group was the baking of soda farls and pancakes by the ladies creating a ‘come and get me aroma’.

Each afternoon finished with a bring and buy auction as well as an annual raffle which together raised between £6000-£8000 and, on some occasions as much as £20,000 plus.  During the lifetime of the group, a total of £1.25 million was raised – a tremendous sum of money in a rural area.

The events throughout the years also attracted celebrities including MEPs, Chief Executive Officers, musicians and singers and various artists with skills in chainsaws, buttermaking, basket weaving, spinning wheels, blacksmith and the list goes on.

Additional sideshows at the events attracting much interest included rare breed animals and birds, dog shows, cross cut sawing, re-enacting the Fair and Young Farmer Clubs Tug of War.

The group was fortunate to have high quality ploughing skills on display including two World Champions – Don Wright and his nephew David – competing in the vintage tractor, horse and junior classes.  There was also the three McKeown ladies demonstrating their skills in ploughing with three 1940s Fordson Tractors and using a cockshut plough.  They represented the Land Ladies of the Second World War.

For three years a feature was showcasing the Fordson tractor range.  This was flowed by the Ferguson tractor range and finally the David Brown tractor range.

Throughout the years there were six hosts for the events including Mr John McCrystal, Mr Gareth Rainey, Ms Patricia Kelly, Mr Robert Clarke, Mr William White and Mr George Rainey.  In the latter years, the ploughing changed to One Man and His Dog which also proved to be very popular with the Petrol Heads Tournament Raising being a special attraction.

Not forgetting the younger generation, the children’s amusements and the Ice Cream van were a big attraction.

Many would say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, therefore, it would be remiss of me not to mention the important contribution of the ladies on the burger stall.

Unfortunately Covid-19 and the natural wastage of members, the groups has come to an end as the only fundraising still in existence was the sunflower growing.

The Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area is largely rural and agriculture is vital for our economy, therefore, groups such as this who continued to highlight the importance of farming, including traditional farming methods was vital.

On behalf of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, and on my own behalf, I would like to thank and commend the members of Ballygawley and Roscavey Bygone Farming Days, past and present, for your hard work and commitment to the group and to championing the importance of vintage and modern farming.  I would also like to congratulate you on the outstanding fundraising efforts; these funds will have made a tangible difference to the lives of so many.  Your contribution to the group, the wider District, to the agricultural industry and to the charitable organisations who benefitted from the money raised has not gone unnoticed and you should be proud of what you have achieved.

Thank you.