John Shirley leaving farming independent

stand on!!

According to his column today hes gone. I always enjoyed his views on everything

Farmer Pudsey

Is a very good agri journalist alot of his contributions are commonsence. He has a good grounding in ordinary agricultue will be sorry so see him exit. He seems to have filled a gap after the exit of Oliver Mcdonald. He was very good in the comic and his common sence is missed from it.


We are slowly losin these old style agri journalists who were agri educated based aas opposed to university gradutates (nothing against them) that have come into agri journalism alot of whom have little agriculture understanding.

delaval

A good experienced commentator but with an agenda that at times he couldn't hide

He will be missed as that paper has become a tabloid rag with poor columnists save a notable few. Since OBrien and McCullagh joined it had lost all credibility because of their lazy journalism.

Findo itself wouldn't be missed by any body but Independent Newspapers as I'm sure it boosts sales with little effort

onyerbikepat

Ya, he'll be a big loss alright. Always struck me as a guy that could walk into any farmyard in the country and chat away with ease with anyone. True the independent is slowly becoming a tabloid. Very few quality jounalists there now.

moy83

Ill miss his page , in fairness he is one of the few writers names that I would recognise in that paper . I'd say not many of the few thats left can let their memories back 50 years to recount the changes in farming .

Dampintheattic

I miss the Irish Press:cool:

whelan1

moy83 wrote: »

Ill miss his page , in fairness he is one of the few writers names that I would recognise in that paper . I'd say not many of the few thats left can let their memories back 50 years to recount the changes in farming .

lets hope oliver mc donnell doesnt appear back in his place

Conmaicne Mara

whelan1 wrote: »

lets hope oliver mc donnell doesnt appear back in his place

I'm still laughing the time he bought some blackface sheep and expected hedges to keep them in, don't know how many years ago that is now.

mf240

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

I'm still laughing the time he bought some blackface sheep and expected hedges to keep them in, don't know how many years ago that is now.

The only place I could ever get sheep to stay was in the freezer..

Conmaicne Mara

mf240 wrote: »

The only place I could ever get sheep to stay was in the freezer..

I just whisper "mint sauce" in the ear of any misbehaver, then they're good as gold

3 the square

whelan1 wrote: »

lets hope oliver mc donnell doesnt appear back in his place

Ollie seemed to have lot of bad luck with the tractor and d odd baler going up in smoke:rolleyes: whats he up to these times any one know???

bob charles

Shirley was good and straight and talked like a farmer, Oliver McDonald I actually used to like as he gave a run down on the weeks events of his place - he had some faults:D.

I had a 15 minute talk about NZ dairy practices last week:mad: out of a 20 minute presentation last week by the poster boy of the IFJ. No substance with that character

bogman_bass

John is a pure gent. Might not have always agreed with some of his views but have a lot of time for the man

Dickie10

yeah I liked john Shirley but I heard he was only ever a stop gap measure after Ollie McDonnell made a hames of himself, ranting about progressive genetics being a badly run ship after he got too many bull calves! He was a bit too pious I always thought, espically when I know rightly the real man and his antics, but I wont go into that here!

Dickie10

that's Ollie McDonnell I meant not john Shirley who I don't know but seems sound enough

bob charles

Dickie10 wrote: »

espically when I know rightly the real man and his antics, but I wont go into that here!

ah now stop teasing us. I will tell no one;)

Manoffeeling

Met John at the ploughing this year. A genuine kinda guy.

Met ollie at the ploughing years ago. A bigger pain in the hole I haven't met since.

bob charles

Manoffeeling wrote: »

A bigger pain in the hole I haven't met since.

Wait till you meet me, you will be singing O McDonnells praises:D

Rho b

I met John Shirley many years ago found him to be a genuine helpful person over those years.
I also met OMcD.
I suppose we all are different individuals at the end of the day - thankfully so.

journalman

ollie seemed he was forever unhappy with his pile. his articles consisted about moaning about lack of profits when his family farm was a bloody ranch. what chance did the ordinary guy have when this fella bemoaned his farming life while throwing in the odd nugget about his owning of fastracs, john deere lawnmowers and all other things glorious, lot of these farmer writers in the journal have an alterior motive, be it politics, digs at certain organisations and or venting the misery they feel at their own so called moisfortune. i for one dont really miss ollies articles, though they did stir controversy at times. john seems more balanced. what the indo needs is a young farmer out of kildalton, pallaskenry or somewhere starting out in the world of farming with genuine heart and determination, explaining how he takes on farming world step by step. The last thing that column needs is some know it all PhD from moorepark or somewhere ****ing on about how he is integrating his thesis onto his hand me down fully set up dairy farm he got from his daddy

Dickie10

here here lad! someone just going through the day to day stuff,form filling, choices of bulls, dosing regime or upping a ewe flock in numbers that sort of thing ,useful everyday stuff, in accordance with weekly and monthly changes on farms aand telling both sides of farming eg the losses as well as the success

farmertipp

Rho b wrote: »

I met John Shirley many years ago found him to be a genuine helpful person over those years.
I also met OMcD.
I suppose we all are different individuals at the end of the day - thankfully so.

I have a farmers journal from 1971 and john has a piece in it.so he has been around a long time

techman1

Whatever happened to oliver mcdonald after, is he still farming ?

He must be long retired by now?

3 the square

AFAIK he is in poor health and resides in care

whelan2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119559125#Comment_119559125

He died a while back. Was in bad health for a good while

cute geoge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119559125#Comment_119559125

I used love his column in the farming indo,reading it as a school lad ,it gave me great inspiration for farming .A pity he was not honored for his writing but anyone who is too straight it always flogged .Rip oliver ,it seems I knew you like a neighbour

techman1

RiP, sorry to hear that alright.

Just someone that had a high profile and then they just disappear get curious as to what they are doing now