Restored mower goes on display in Loughglynn

The Autumn months were busy for the volunteers in Loughglynn Tidy Towns as they undertook a restoration project for display in the village.

Thanks to the generosity of Paul Loftus, who donated an old piece of farm machinery, the group was able to restore a single horse mower, manufactured by Pierce of Wexford, which has now gone on display at the Ballaghaderreen end of the village.

The Pierce mower was pulled by a single horse and was able to mow a significantly greater amount of grass than a farmer with a scythe. It made farming easier for the farmers of yesteryear as they could now harvest more hay in a shorter period, with the need for less labour. This was important because emigration at that time was rife in the west of Ireland.

This mowing machine was bought by Paul’s family in 1949 from Morahan’s in Ballinagare and was used to mow the meadows in Cloontowart for many years.

To ensure that the colour scheme was as accurate as possible research was carried out and images from various machinery museums and catalogues were consulted.

The project was the culmination of another successful year for Loughglynn Tidy Towns. The group saw results in the national competition improve again in 2023. The group hopes that this latest addition to the village streetscape will further improve their entry.

In addition to the volunteers who did all the work the committee would also like to thank Pat Dockery, David Mangan, Jamie Creaton, Padraig, and Ray Finan who helped with the installing of the mower and a special thank you is extended to Paul Loftus who generously donated the mower to Loughglynn Tidy Towns.