Old farmers dying out

alfaromeo84

Just read this article in todays I.T. nothing much to it, just a chap writing about an old bacholer farmer near him passing on.

http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/michael-harding-the-lights-go-out-on-another-solitary-country-life-1.2014333

Felt a bit moved by it as I know old boys like this still.

Count Mondego

Nice article but a bit melodramatic.

Muckit

Yes some poetic licence has been used, but there is an element of truth also.

The deceased appears to have farmed in a traditional way, not one for modern methods. I can't imagine his yard having a slatted shed or his fields electric fences!!

The article is more a lament for the good old fashioned simple way of country life that is disappearing bit by bit.

Yes that farm will be farmed again, but it more than likely being a small holding, it will be used as an out farm on a much bigger farm. It won't receive the same care and attention. The old outhouses may well be demolished and the dwelling house, being small and not being modern enough will more than likely suffer the same fate, or be sold to a non farming family.

Either way things will never be the same again. But this is life!

Kevin McCloud

Out with the old and in with the new as they say, always a shame when history e.g old out houses destroyed to make way for newer buildings but as Muckit put it this is life.

Willfarman

A farmer in his mid forties in my locality called Willie. In the
Local and gets a pint. Barman hands him his change says " there you go Will.i.am" messing like...

Willie looks confused. "You know Will.i.am the rapper?" Asks the barman.

"I don't think I do" says Willie dead serious.. "He never wrapped at home anyway"

couldn't understand the barman nearly dieing from laughing

mf240

There was an elderly bachelor farmer in the west a few years ago got very ill and was on his last in hospital. Another bachelor farmer and his friend and drinking buddy called in to see him and was suprised to see a few relations of the sick man in visiting him. Relations tgat hadnt been seen for years.

"Well" he says " Which of ye is going to spin the wheel for the jackpot"

mf240

Willfarman wrote: »

A farmer in his mid forties in my locality called Willie. In the
Local and gets a pint. Barman hands him his change says " there you go Will.i.am" messing like...

Willie looks confused. "You know Will.i.am the rapper?" Asks the barman.

"I don't think I do" says Willie dead serious.. "He never wrapped at home anyway"

couldn't understand the barman nearly dieing from laughing

Was it yourself willfarman.:D:D

Zoo4m8

Down in Clare last year visiting the area my mother is from I decided to visit an elderly spinster friend of hers still farming, got lost on the back roads so called at a pub near Feakle for directions, a lad at the bar knew the lady in question and after giving me directions and quizzing me on why I was visiting and where I was from he added as I was leaving "so your down all the way from Wicklow for a stab at the place then?"....

frazzledhome

mf240 wrote: »

There was an elderly bachelor farmer in the west a few years ago got very ill and was on his last in hospital. Another bachelor farmer and his friend and drinking buddy called in to see him and was suprised to see a few relations of the sick man in visiting him. Relations tgat hadnt been seen for years.

"Well" he says " Which of ye is going to spin the wheel for the jackpot"

That's a classic

Feckthis

mf240 wrote: »

There was an elderly bachelor farmer in the west a few years ago got very ill and was on his last in hospital. Another bachelor farmer and his friend and drinking buddy called in to see him and was suprised to see a few relations of the sick man in visiting him. Relations tgat hadnt been seen for years.

"Well" he says " Which of ye is going to spin the wheel for the jackpot"

sad but can imagine it happens a lot.

Reggie.

Feckthis wrote: »

sad but can imagine it happens a lot.

+1

frazzledhome

Feckthis wrote: »

sad but can imagine it happens a lot.

Not that sad, older people very wise and can see through faux concern in most cases

who the fug

frazzledhome wrote: »

Not that sad, older people very wise and can see through faux concern in most cases

Bugger faux concern, getting a rise is good for ones soul.

They ain't wise just mischievous

sh1tstirrer

Willfarman wrote: »

A farmer in his mid forties in my locality called Willie. In the
Local and gets a pint. Barman hands him his change says " there you go Will.i.am" messing like...

Willie looks confused. "You know Will.i.am the rapper?" Asks the barman.

"I don't think I do" says Willie dead serious.. "He never wrapped at home anyway"

couldn't understand the barman nearly dieing from laughing

Jaysus Will most farmers in their 40's aren't that naive there were rappers around in their day also, just saying.

who the fug

sh1tstirrer wrote: »

Jaysus Will most farmers in their 40's aren't that naive there were rappers around in their day also, just saying.

Shush , if they keep thinking we be stupid, we can still make a fortune ripping them off

Kovu

My mother's family is from Arigna area & from what I hear, a nicer man you could never meet.
It makes me kinda sad that these men dedicated their lives to the farm, perhaps never left Ireland even. Perhaps shyness or a love of enjoying the quiet life;)

What p*sses me off is the stock photo.....journalst could at least take one near the place.

who the fug

Kovu wrote: »

My mother's family is from Arigna area & from what I hear, a nicer man you could never meet.
It makes me kinda sad that these men dedicated their lives to the farm, perhaps never left Ireland even. Perhaps shyness or a love of enjoying the quiet life;)

What p*sses me off is the stock photo.....journalst could at least take one near the place.

What I loved about the piece was how quiet his cows where.

onyerbikepat

A quiet man will always have quiet cows.

who the fug

onyerbikepat wrote: »

A quiet man will always have quiet cows.

Also get the feeling he would have been very slactar (sorry about spelling, but it should mean a very neat tidy precise person)

Kovu

onyerbikepat wrote: »

A quiet man will always have quiet cows.

I don't want to derail the tread but my 80 yr old neighbour recently went to collect horses. Hadn't seen them n months. Let one roar 'C'MAAAAWN' and the mares answered.....ANSWERED.. and galloped over.
Never seen anything like it!

greysides

Curious timing, in that I've spent a few days recently in the company of peers of the man described. Bachelor farmers farming to the end.
I've a lot of time for them. Their approach is life is similar to my own. But they are a disappearing band.
By and large they understand that you can be late, that things don't always end up as you'd like, that a good laugh and a bit of craic is what life is about.
They will take a leg-pull in way it was intended and, in a while, will give the same back. Never to the offensive level.
They have more time and it's less highly valued.
The kettle is always on or needing to be put on and a 'cup of tea' is rarely just a cup of tea.

rushvalley

Kovu wrote: »

I don't want to derail the tread but my 80 yr old neighbour recently went to collect horses. Hadn't seen them n months. Let one roar 'C'MAAAAWN' and the mares answered.....ANSWERED.. and galloped over.
Never seen anything like it!

My grandfather was the same with cattle. Used stand at the gate and let off a roar and the cattle would stroll over to him

coolshannagh28

In the late 60s a few friends of my Da were in the graveyard on a serious bad day burying an oul fella that had died when an aged neighbour shuffled over, drenched ,rain and snotters running off the end of his nose and obviously suffering from a bad flu, one of them piped up " jaysus Joe its hardly worth your while going home ".
Needless to say the smart alec was buried before him!

Muckit

Ah Jaysus lads ya can't beat the Irish sense of humour!!

mfceiling

My dad has 2 old farmer uncles both in their 80's. We used to visit them when we were lads about 30 years ago and I remember them being old back then!! The door of the house was always open and there might have been chickens wandering about the kitchen and maybe a sick lamb in a box in front of the range.
Tea was always a big thing and it was ham the thickness of your arm and unsliced bread all the way.
I remember in 1999 i was getting ready to go to Australia and i happened to drive past his farm and decided to stop and see him. I wouldn't have seen him in 14 or 15 years so I thought it would have maybe been the last time I might get to see him. As luck would have it he was down the road looking into a field at the cattle. I pulled up and opened the window..."how are you bill"? He looked at me for a couple of seconds and then says..."I don't know you". Put me back in my box!!

Sam Kade

Muckit wrote: »

Ah Jaysus lads ya can't beat the Irish sense of humour!!

It's dying fast like the Irish accents in another 2 generations everybody will be talking with this new false accent :mad:

foxy farmer

Heard of a oul lad out north of macroom who had a small bit of ground who did things the old fashioned way. Used to cut an acre behind the house each year for hay with a scythe. Would turn it by hand and get some one in to make small square bales. Some neighbour was passing with a trailed mower, stopped and offered to cut it for him.
Into the field with the mower a couple of whips around the field and there wasnt much left.
Shortly afterwards the acre was knocked and the 2 lads were talking at the gap. The neighbour remarks to the old fella that it didn't take long and there was no sweat lost. The old lad looks around the field and smirks.
"Ah yes" he says" but you never cut the corners!"

welton john

foxy farmer wrote: »

Heard of a oul lad out north of macroom who had a small bit of ground who did things the old fashioned way. Used to cut an acre behind the house each year for hay with a scythe. Would turn it by hand and get some one in to make small square bales. Some neighbour was passing with a trailed mower, stopped and offered to cut it for him.
Into the field with the mower a couple of whips around the field and there wasnt much left.
Shortly afterwards the acre was knocked and the 2 lads were talking at the gap. The neighbour remarks to the old fella that it didn't take long and there was no sweat lost. The old lad looks around the field and smirks.
"Ah yes" he says" but you never cut the corners!"

My grandfather would have been of a similar vintage.Summer holidays were spent with him either in the garden(even tho he only ever seemed to eat spuds he grew about 6 different veg)or saving hay in the meadow or cutting turf.Due to the efforts they put into the land, they probably had a connection with it most of us will never have.Every year since hes passed iv'e turned a few rows of tyvodes and set a bit of a garden.i dont really enjoy it but its a habbit now and worth it alone to see the look on my 80 year old neighbours face when he stops to check my progress

A cow called Daisy

You don't have to be that old to get the relations calling amd making comments about what you are going to do with 'the place' Just move them to bottom of list!

Some of these older guys have great sayings that I think are funny and I don't think they regard them as such. Think I told yous about one man, looking at a very tall and 'well built' woman said "My God, look at the size of her...... you could hang a gate on her. He definitely not mean it as insult or anything like that.

Another man, a bachelor in his 70's, was drinking in local pub. There was a woman of a similar age drinking at bar. She had a lot of make-up etc on in an effort to look younger. Barman asks him what he thinks about this woman and joking with as how she would 'suit him' He takes a sip from his pint, says "auld hay, well headed", and heads out to the jacks.

I've seen and heard poorer attempts at humour from people paid to be funny.

Metroid diorteM

Myself and partner have been visiting some of her older neighbors who are in hospital recently. She's been away from home for years but it doesn't mean she doesn't care. Even now we have pretty busy lives though.

The spin the wheel issue is a major concern for us.

We don't want a thing from these people but if someone is old and in hospital should you not visit them? I've had to stay outside the room on occasion when she was visiting for fear we'd give this impression (I grew up in a different county to her).

It's really sad that you can't even risk saying goodbye to someone just because you haven't seen them in years.

onyerbikepat

Metroid diorteM wrote: »

..It's really sad that you can't even risk saying goodbye to someone just because you haven't seen them in years.

To hell with it, do what you feel is right. There are plenty of old people living alone in every locality. That's far worst than what the local 'tongue waggers' may think or say of helpful neighbours.

Muckit

I bought a great book some time back. It's called 'vanishing Ireland. ' l think they actually brought out a second one. Full of old characters from around Ireland. A great read with some excellent photography.

whelan2

Muckit wrote: »

I bought a great book some time back. It's called 'vanishing Ireland. ' l think they actually brought out a second one. Full of old characters from around Ireland. A great read with some excellent photography.

was looking at that book there on Easons , is over 40 euro:eek:

kowtow

Muckit wrote: »

I bought a great book some time back. It's called 'vanishing Ireland. ' l think they actually brought out a second one. Full of old characters from around Ireland. A great read with some excellent photography.

Turtle Bunbury's book.

Excellent read. He has another one out at the moment I think.

Farmer

whelan2 wrote: »

was looking at that book there on Easons , is over 40 euro:eek:

He puts a fair bit of stuff up on facebook with links from his Twitter account

Edit: Link https://m.facebook.com/Wistorical?refsrc=https://www.facebook.com/Wistorical

whelan2

Farmer wrote: »

He puts a fair bit of stuff up on facebook with links from his Twitter account

Got it on o mahonys website cheaper

Zoo4m8

kowtow wrote: »

Turtle Bunbury's book.

Excellent read. He has another one out at the moment I think.

He has published three books.. Excellent, get them all if you can, he is to be congratulated for telling the stories of a generation and a way of life that very soon will be gone forever..

coolshannagh28

Declan Lynch has a great book called"Poor aul fella s"

sh1tstirrer

I know an auld fella that his cousin visited him with her 17 year old daughter she asked him what he thought of her he said I'd rather have her down than a field of hay and she'd be saved a lot quicker.

massey woman

Kovu wrote: »

I don't want to derail the tread but my 80 yr old neighbour recently went to collect horses. Hadn't seen them n months. Let one roar 'C'MAAAAWN' and the mares answered.....ANSWERED.. and galloped over.
Never seen anything like it!

Heard somewhere locally that the same man put a halter on a 2 legged mare recently?

Kovu

massey woman wrote: »

Heard somewhere locally that the same man put a halter on a 2 legged mare recently?

That he did......wasn't the first time she was haltered nor the second!!:D