This article is from page 52 of the 2008-04-08 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 52 JPG
A BOOKLET detailing the results of Europe’s foremost large-scale audit of farm machinery will be launched at Clare Museum in Ennis on next Monday, April 14.
Produced by Clare County Coun- cil and east Clare-based consultants Minogue Associates, Antique Farm Machinery of County Clare tells the social story of the county’s farm ma- chinery from the early 1800s to the aL Oks
The Clare Heritage section secured funding from the Heritage Council and Clare County Council to under- take the project last year, as part of the implementation of the Clare Her- itage Plan 2003-2007.
“I am delighted to see that the lo-
cal authority has played its part in establishing a framework for docu- menting unprotected early agricul- tural machinery, which played a sig- nificant role in the socio-economic development of this country over the last number of centuries,” said Ber- nadette Kinsella, Director of Serv- ices, Economic Development and Planning, Clare County Council.
“The west of Ireland is tradition- ally an agricultural region and this tradition has bequeathed a signifi- cant amount of farm machinery dat- ing from the late 19th and early to mid-twentieth centuries.
“Therefore, it 1s imperative that we develop a strategy for the conserva- tion and posterity of such items as seed drills, harrows, ploughs and rollers, horse carts, and harvesting
and haymaking machinery.”
Commenting on the audit, Cllr Pat Hayes, Chairperson of the Clare Heritage Forum, said that there is a sionificant gap in awareness when it comes to our agricultural heritage despite its fundamental impact on the socio-economic development of this country over the last number of centuries.
‘The Clare Heritage Forum is con- fident that this audit and its subse- quent promotion will help address that gap in Clare and also provide an effective template that can be used on a national and international lev- el,” he said.
‘For example, local authority herit- age offices in Galway and Donegal have already followed our lead by undertaking similar studies.
“We are confident that this au- dit will achieve its main objective, which is to uniquely inform as to the historical, geographical, eco- nomic and even scientific develop- ment of agricultural machinery in one county.”
Following the launch of the audit, 10,000 summary booklets will be made available at schools, libraries, museums and heritage centres across County Clare.
Dr Hugh Maguire of the Heritage Council will launch Antique Farm Machinery of County Clare at Clare Museum at 7.30pm on Monday, April 14.
The launch will also include an il- lustrated presentation on The Devel- opment of Clare Farm Machinery, 1800-1950.