This film takes a look at how Irish land was farmed in the 1950’s and 60’s and 
how different farming was before the introduction of sophisticated modern 
machinery.

There can be no doubt that the work was tough, but it was also 
rewarding and we find that many farmers enjoy returning to the old ways and 
enjoy the social aspect of when communities pulled together to get the job done.

There is a fascination for the old machinery that had replaced the horse on 
Irish farms, but was so far different from the modern high powered state of the 
art tractors, combines and other machinery available today.

We visited two farms by the River Bann in Northern Ireland. Peter McEvoy’s farm 
near Katesbridge Co. Down is beside the upper River Bann, which flows from the 
foot of the Mourne Mountains into Lough Neagh, and the McErlain farm at Newferry 
in Moneyglass Co. Antrim is alongside the lower River Bann, which flows from 
Lough Neagh out to the sea.

These farmers showed us how the land was farmed in 
the old days when the horse was starting to fade away on the farm to make way 
for the Tractor to appear and make life a little bit easier for them.

Peter McAvoy still loves to work with the old machinery and sows a field of corn 
every year and with the help of his friends, threshes it on boxing day and 
raises money for a local charity with the crowds who come to watch.
Cathal McErlain demonstrated how to prepare the ground with the old time 
tractors and made the strenuous job of sowing the corn with an old time fiddle, 
look like an art form. 

At Ballydown on the outskirts of Banbridge in Co. Down we called to a field 
belonging to local contractor Ernie Mathers, who along with John Finney was 
cutting a crop of Wheat with a binder. This Old Time Farming Demonstration also 
raises money for charity. These men have been running the event for 22 years.

• Running time approx 60 minutes
• Colour PAL DVD UK
• Aspect ratio 16:9