Sam Mitchell on a vintage tractor which will be on display at the Portroe Vintage and family fun day this Sunday, July 15th.

Crowds to flock to Portroe Vintage and Family Fun Day

A MASSIVE fun event for all the family takes place in Youghal, Newtown, this Sunday, July 15th,  with the staging of the Portroe Vintage and Parish Day.

On top of a huge display of vintage tractors and farm machinery there will be side attractions galore, ranging from a blacksmith showing his skills to platform dancing, bouncy castles, face painting, music by a host of local artists and food available throughout the day.

Nenagh Classic Car Club will be displaying some wonderful vintage models and there will be displays by Nenagh Fire Brigade, the Irish Coast Guard, and you will see an old thresshing machine at work.

The event is being staged on the lands of Portroe man, Pat Egan, a fanatical collector of old tractors and other vintage farming tools.

Pat has developed sheds to create a large museum on the site that houses the most wondeful vintage machinery collection you are ever likely to see.

Pat has been collecting and restoring vintage farm machinery and tools for almost half a century and the fruits of his efforts are amazing.

"It all started when I spotted a poor old rundown rusting Massy Ferguson 135 in bushes near Mullingar around 1970," says Pat. "I bought the old crock from the owner and got it home to Portroe on a trailer and restored it. Since then I have been collecting every old thing I can find."

This Sunday's fun day is the very first time the wider public will have full access to Pat's vast collection, which will be on show togehter with a host of other ancient machines being brought on site by other local vintage enthusiasts.

The chairman of the organising committee is Portroe farmer Pat Hickey who revealed that the funds generated will go to the Portroe Parish Development Fund. "The church in Portroe will be 150 years old in four years time, so we thought it was the ideal time to try to generate funds to upgrade parish facilities to meet the needs of the modern era, Pat told The Guardian. "We have lots of ideas, like maybe developing a grotto at the side of the church and digitising all the parish records of births, deaths and marriage, which would be a huge resource for visitors and locals."

Simon Ryan, Chairman of the Parish Council, said other plans included restoration of the beautiful stained glass windows in the church. "And so we are really delighted that Pat Egan is making his wonderful display available to allow us host this fundraising day," said Simon.

Fr Fergal O' Neill – the curate in Portroe who is soon moving to become Parish Priest in Ogonnoloe – said the parish could no longer rely on a declining older population of massgoers to provide all the funds required for the upkeep of the church. "We're hoping that fundraising days like this will enable us bring parish services up to a 21st century standard," he said.

Gates to the big event on Sunday pen at 11.30am. Tickets are €10, and there's free entry for children under 16.