Hippies were shocking America. The teddy boys and girls were swinging in London. The Cuban missile crisis had the world holding its breath. But home in rural Ireland, like some black and white Christmas nostalgia advertisement, life was jogging along slowly and steadily.
It was a gentle past. Hard work, travelling by bicycle and long lazy afternoons are our collective memory. Creamery cans were functional items, not garden ornaments. Horses and donkeys were working animals, not luxury pets for amusing the grandchildren on a long weekend. Sunday was a true day of rest with not a soul moving after mass in the villages in towns. 1960 farming was a far cry from the online shopping, drone launching, machinery driven farming of today.
Going to the Creamery
In the 1960’s dairy farm, the best part of the morning was spent going to the creamery.
Once the ‘girls’ were milked, the man of the house headed for the local creamery and the long queue of tractors, vans, cars and trailers getting the days milk from the cans to the tanks.
This daily chore was accompanied by much grumbling from the farmers, but in reality offered a relaxed time for passing the time of day with others and could take a few hours of chatting and slagging, before heading home with the Fruitfield jam, the Calvita cheese, the sugar, butter, tea and any other essential items bouncing round the transport box.
Painting the House for the station
A tradition that dates back to Penal Times, the station was the most miss-named event in Irish rural life. It had nothing to do with stations but was simply a mass held in the house. Nothing simple for the household though, as the house was prepared for weeks, with new whitewashing and tidying up in preparation. All the neighbours gathered on the evening of the station and food and drink was served. A station was a big event in the days before the annual trip to Alicante.
Flushing the loo
A large number of Irish homes did not have the luxury of indoor plumbing.
Avocado bathroom suites were yet to make an appearance in the Ideal Homes exhibition but a nice flushing indoor, insect free toilet was an aspiration for many.
As one west of Ireland farmer surveyed the hastily erected lean-to bathroom which would service visiting American relatives and noted with was surprised that the family was now also dining AL –Fresco and a table was set in the front garden to enjoy unusually good weather. He was prompted to quip “life is funny. Last year we were eating inside and peeing outside and this year we are reversing the whole process”.
The Spring Show
The annual trip to the big smoke for the most important farming event of the year was second in importance only to the GAA All Ireland Finals.
Hordes of country folk trekked to the Spring Show to view the latest innovations in high yielding crop strains and milking machines.
This was a perfect family day out.
The big draw of the exhibitions hall was the free samples given happily and gladly to the crowd.
Bags which had been crammed full of ham sandwiches and flasks on the journey up were filled to the brim with cheese, soap and biscuit samples on the way home.
The Late Late and Benjy
TV was simpler then. Farm jobs were worked around the weekly Late Late Show where Gaybo was controversial, entertaining and never boring. The Riordans was the Ireland best loved soap opera. Farming life was never so exciting. Get up the yard! Smell o Benjy off ya! Netflix and chill was nothing on this.
Pre EU Days
Imagine it! No subsidy. No rules.
Yes, there was an Ireland before the Economic Union ( or the EEC) decided what shape a potato should be and that every donkey should be tagged.
Back then, there was no rulings on bog-land, no quotas on fish, dairy and grain.
Was it better?
Well, with Brexit becoming a reality and Frexit (The potential French exit) on the cards, we might well find out.
