Last weekend the Ulster Folk Museum at Cultra, Holywood, held their annual Country Skills Day.
In this video, shot by Farming Life's Darryl Armitage, we get to watch the timeless art of horse ploughing.
Sadly, it is a skill that has been dying out across the country over the last few decades, but it still remains one of the most captivating of all country skills.
Other skills on show at the museum that day included harness cleaning and horseshoe throwing at Cruckaclady Farmhouse.
Meanwhile there was rope making at the Meenagarragh Cottier's House and horse/donkey grooming at Drumnahunshin Farm (stable area).
And there was traditional stick making and harness cleaning in the Orange Hall.
In this video, shot by Farming Life's Darryl Armitage, we get to watch the timeless art of horse ploughing.
Sadly, it is a skill that has been dying out across the country over the last few decades, but it still remains one of the most captivating of all country skills.
Other skills on show at the museum that day included harness cleaning and horseshoe throwing at Cruckaclady Farmhouse.
Meanwhile there was rope making at the Meenagarragh Cottier's House and horse/donkey grooming at Drumnahunshin Farm (stable area).
And there was traditional stick making and harness cleaning in the Orange Hall.
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01:20 So first off, can you tell me who you are and where you're from?
01:39 >> I'm from Lindsay, from St. Pete.
01:42 >> Lindsay, we're here at the country skills.
01:46 Who have you brought along for the day?
01:47 >> We brought Caleb and Joyce.
01:51 >> And how important are days like this here at the museum for
01:56 keeping alive the skills, the horse plowing skills?
02:00 >> Very important because this is a place where these skills should be kept.
02:04 Should be kept going in a regular place like here,
02:08 because there's not many other places where these skills are kept going,
02:13 you know what I mean?
02:14 >> Yeah, so it's really important.
02:15 >> Really important because we used to have a lot of plowing matches
02:20 around the country, but we used to have some in the wetter conditions.
02:25 >> Mm-hm.
02:26 >> Plowing matches is few and far between now.
02:29 >> Yeah, and how did you pick up the skills of horse plowing?
02:34 Did you learn them from the foot of your father, the knee of your father?
02:38 >> Yeah, I was brought up on a farm.
02:39 >> Mm-hm.
02:40 >> And you had to, in those days,
02:42 there wasn't no tractors.
02:47 >> Mm-hm.
02:48 >> And you had to put your hands in.
02:50 >> Mm-hm.
02:50 >> Not with the horses plowing and carrowing and grubbing and thrashing and
02:55 all that.
02:56 Just ordinary farm work, which is on the day,
02:59 only it was a slower pace in those days.
03:01 >> Yeah, yeah.
03:03 And you obviously still get a great deal of enjoyment.
03:05 >> Oh, yeah.
03:06 I like to keep the, especially see the younger generation,
03:10 like to see the younger generation coming forward and I could coach them a bit.
03:15 >> Yeah, and obviously the social aspect of it as well.
03:18 >> Yeah, yeah.
03:19 >> Keeping in contact with people and things like that, yeah.
03:23 Okay, spot on, thank you very much.
03:24 >> Thank you.
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