Summer in Longford: Colmcille Ploughing & Family Fun Day to keep ‘old traditions alive’

The Colmcille Ploughing & Family Fun Day is set to take place in Aughnacliffe over the weekend and chairperson of the organising committee Kevin Reilly outlined that everyone was looking forward to a fun filled day.
The event, which is now in its 25th year, with the first event taking place in 1999 is set to be a wonderful day out for Longford families on Sunday, August 25. There is an admission fee of €10 and kids go free.

The event is taking place on Kieran Reilly’s (Kevin’s brother) land at Smear Hill, Aughnacliffe and parking will be available for all on the day in the same field.
Mark Cadam Ltd, who is the provider of quality surface dressing within the private and public sectors, for car parks, minor roads and lanes throughout all regions, is the main sponsor of the 2024 Colmcille Ploughing & Family Fun Day.
There will be a number of ploughing classes taking place on the day itself on which Kevin said, “All classes will go ahead. We will have classes in tractor and vintage and loy ploughing.”

According to Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, “The loy is an historic digging tool used to till soil. Although its use in farming has been superseded, it continues in use today as part of a heritage sport of loy digging, where competitors turn over a marked patch of ground using the traditional tool.”
Kevin said, “There could be up to twenty loy men with the old traditional methods with the hand plough or plough with the loy on the day.”

There will be lots of fun attractions on the day for families, Kevin said: “There will be kids free face painting with JoJo’s party time, amusements, rodeo bull, tractor ballads and there will be animals provided courtesy of Corbally Mobile Fun Farm & Reindeer Hire. There will also be music on the day by well known Longford country music star Mick Flavin, along with the brilliant Carragh Lynch and Johnny Joyce, so get your dancing shoes on.”

Kevin has been involved from the start of the event itself and it has been “very fulfilling” for him over the years.
Paying tribute to the hard working committee, Kevin outlined: “There are about twenty people at the meetings and six or seven at the top table.”

On the challenges Kevin and the committee face organising the event, he said: “The hardest part is getting young people involved in ploughing and keeping old traditions alive. It has remained popular as the work we put into it is recognised.
“Last year was special to us too as we gave €3,000 to local charities in the community. We gave €1,000 each to the Gemma McGee Memorial Bursary Fund, the local community centre and to the local school for special needs classrooms.”
The event this year takes place on Heritage Week. Heritage Week takes place from August 17-25.

National Heritage Week, an initiative by the Heritage Council, celebrates all things heritage. It brings together communities, families, organisations, cultural institutions, academics and enthusiasts, to build awareness about the value of heritage and support its conservation.
To keep up to date with the event itself you can visit their Facebook page by searching Colmcille Ploughing & Family Fun Day 2024.