Eamon McDonagh with a work horse on Cloughjordan Community Farm. Photograph: Cathy Lydon

Work horse fundraising event in cloughjordan

Following the theft of over €8,000 worth of farm equipment and working horse tackle, Cloughjordan Community Farm is holding a large fundraising event to help recoup some of their losses.
Upwards of eight pairs of working draft horses will converge in Cloughjordan for a day of ploughing and practical demonstrations.
This event, run in conjunction with the Irish Work Horse Association (IWHA) on Sunday October 11th, runs from noon until 6pm, and costs just €5 to enter, with tickets available on the day. Hot food will also be available.
The event will take place on Cloughjordan's Community owned farm, which takes up 10 acres of the 67-acre ecovillage site on the Step road, Cloughjordan. The farm feeds over 40 families in the town, supplying an array of vegetables and some meat to members.
Cloughjordan is an apt location for such an event because the community owned farm there now works with its own draft horses, which have taken over from other forms of traction.
Working horse enthusiasts will arrive from many parts of Ireland. Participants on the day include Harry and Mona Bartlink (Clare), William O'Sullivan and his partner Emma (Cork), and Eamon and Gereldine McDonagh (Mayo). Local or regional participants are also welcome to get involved (contact Pat Malone on 087 1338139).
Horses on display and working the land will include Percherons, Clydesdales and Cobs. Old and new equipment will be operational on the day, including a two-sod Sulky reversible American plough.
To participate in the IWHA event in Cloughjordan with a horse, contact Pat Malone on 087 1338139. To attend, simply turn up on the day, from noon.
For more see www.cloughjordancommunityfarm.ie or find them on Facebook. Their crowd fund, to recover their stolen goods, is www.gofundme.com/ma4gs5s4.