Vintage Tractors Plough On in Ardfert, Co. Kerry, Ireland 1984

Tractors from yesteryear show what they are capable of at the National Ploughing Championships.

The Irish Vintage Engine and Tractor Club stage a vintage tractor class at the National Ploughing Championships in Ardfert, County Kerry, where tractor models and ploughs of yesteryear are put through their paces.

The rules of the competition mean the tractors must have been manufactured before 1950 fuelled by petrol and the ploughs must be trailed two-furrow.

Many watching the vintage class at Ardfert are nostalgic for the time when Ford in Cork manufactured the Fordson Major tractor. Chairman of the Vintage Club Noel Corkery says apart from added comfort to the driver, there is very little difference between the vintage tractors and their modern counterparts. The vintage models have a very high level of engineering.

You can see here today, the standard of ploughing by the vintage tractors is quite high, I would consider it comparable to the modern day tractor.

Noel Corkery is confident he could do just as good a ploughing job with the vintage tractor and plough as with the modern day plough.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 5 October 1984. The reporter is Michael Lally.