More from Lismore: See the silage extravaganza from above

Last weekend played host to a major silage harvesting event – involving hoards of vintage and classic tractors and harvesters – at Lismore Castle Farm, Co. Waterford.

The working demonstration – impressive in both its scale and in the variety of machines that it attracted – was detailed in a report in AgriLand on Monday, July 24.

Photographer Ray Mallon (RM Agriphotos) was also there – capturing the sights throughout the day and framing some very eye-catching photographs along the way. In this article, we bring you just a selection of the many pictures taken by Ray on the day.

The event itself was organised by the Melleray Vintage Club. Running alongside the silage cutting demonstration was an exhibition of vintage stationary engines, tractors and cars, as well as a selection of trade stands.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

In this picture (below), two Ford-derived tractors were being readied for the event – a Muir-Hill and a County. These machines were ‘Ford conversions’ – created at a time when Ford’s own factory was chiefly concerned with building 2WD tractors.

Of course, when companies like Ford began to mass produce 4WD tractors of their own, the prospects for the likes of Muir-Hill and County were grim – so grim, in fact, that they didn’t survive.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

There was an abundance of ‘standard’ Ford tractors there too – one of which is to the fore in this picture (below). 10 Series models, many with Super Q cabs, proved to be a nostalgic attraction at Lismore. That’s no surprise; such tractors featured heavily across the Irish landscape in the 1980s and beyond.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

Massey Ferguson was represented too, albeit in smaller numbers. This picture (below) shows a 1963 Massey Ferguson 65 MkII tractor in action. It’s coupled to a Massey Ferguson 71 single-chop (silage) harvester. A Massey Ferguson branded trailer completes the tidy ‘red’ outfit.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

This picture (below) shows a pair of 10 Series Fords working together. Both have the desirable Super Q cab, rather than the lower-budget, square-cut AP version. On the left is a 4WD 6610 Force II; with the advent of Generation III models, this tractor was replaced by both the 6410 and 6810.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

There was a small army of single-chop, double-chop and precision-chop foragers at Lismore, but it wasn’t solely about harvesters. A self-loading wagon made an appearance too; check out this Taarup 1015 (below).

Image source: RM Agriphotos

Little did they know: Long before the coming together of Ford (Ford New Holland) and Fiat (Fiatagri), under the all-encompassing New Holland brand, these tractors were actively competing against one another in the marketplace. This shot (below) shows a 110-90 poised for action alongside a brace of Fords – of varying ages.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

Entries came not just from the immediate locality but from all over Ireland. It had been stipulated that machines, specifically for the silage cutting demonstration, should be pre-1992. There was certainly no issue, in that regard, with this outfit (below).

Image source: RM Agriphotos

A mix of ‘blue’ and ‘red’ arch enemies (the manufacturers; not the drivers!) are seen here (below) working together for the common good. The County is practically dwarfed by the articulated Massey Ferguson in this shot.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

Ominous-looking clouds gathered over the future of Ford-badged tractors (before making way for the era of New Holland tractors) in the 1990s. Luckily, rain stayed away at the Lismore event in 2017 – allowing this ‘true blue’ (below) to safely complete its silage-chopping mission.

Image source: RM Agriphotos

Ray Mallon also shot a series of comprehensive videos which, again, are hosted on RM Agriphotos’ Facebook page.