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06 Sept 2025
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06 Sept 2025
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From left: The late Ian Stewart, Dinny Matthews and John Harte
Dinny Matthews caught the ploughing bug in the mid 1970’s when neighbouring farmers William Jones (1975) and George Armstrong (1976) hosted Longford Ploughing Championships.
He was an active member of Longford ploughing since.
A keen competitor in his home county, Dinny also travelled nationwide to ploughing events with Eamon Egan and Paddy Finnegan.
His interest in competitive ploughing and trips to the National Ploughing Championships, helped Dinny remain focused when his health seemed so challenging.
He showed tremendous enthusiasm when he returned to the competition plots in the years following a heart transplant in 1999.
Ian Stewart was a popular member within our ploughing club, a chatty man with many yarns who shared his knowledge with ease. He was a committed worker in ploughing site preparation, fencing and penning erection at the exhibition over many years.
Ian supported his brothers, nephews and nieces in their competition ploughing endeavours. He was passionate about beef cattle, bred pedigree limousines and served on the Limousine Council.
Ian will be sadly missed around his home area, as a neighbour of tremendous physical strength, who was always on hand to help a cow calving, assist a sheep at lambing or catch a wild one for treatment.
John Harte served as treasurer of Longford Ploughing, hosted our novice ploughing matches on many occasions and also hosted our County Ploughing Championships in 1996 & 2018.
A committed tillage farmer and vintage enthusiast, John took pride in his fleet of Ford and County tractors and gave great entertainment with his 1979 County 1474 and Overum wagon plough, as he tutored Ciaran Rosney and John Connell at his 2018 ploughing match.
A quick wit, a jolly smile and hearty laugh, keen to stop and take time for a chat, John was highly respected in the ploughing and vintage communities.
Condolences to all who mourn their loss. May all our departed friends Rest in Peace.
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