Castledermot Threshing & Vintage Working Day, held on Sunday, 7th September, was another fantastic success for Castledermot Vintage Club and the community of Castledermot, Co. Kildare.
The event which took place on the Corcoran farm, at Davidstown/Ballyvannon, Castledermot, Co. Kildare was an astounding success, raising €24,000 for charity. The focus of the event was Suicide Prevention, and the club’s main beneficiary this year is AWARE, who provide counselling and support services for those suffering from depression and mental health problems. Proceeds also go to Talk-It-Over Carlow, who provide suicide bereavement counselling services, and to Castledermot Community Services.
This was the second year of the event, and the amount raised surpassed the club’s expectations, exceeding their first threshing and vintage day in 2007 when the club raised €22,000 for cancer care equipment in Naas General Hospital and the Drogheda Memorial Hospital at the Curragh, Co Kildare.
The event kicked off on Saturday evening with a large parade of steam engines and vintage tractors through the town, returning to the Castle Inn, Castledermot for a great night with music and barbeque. On Sunday under glorious sunshine, the field filled up rapidly with vintage machines and huge crowds for a fantastic day for all. There were some beautiful steam engines on display, as well as steam organ, binders, stationery engines, threshing mill, and an array of vintage tractors, trucks, and cars. People from Kildare and Carlow and surrounding counties, and some from as far as Armagh and the U.K. enjoyed the traditional threshing in operation, the vintage parade, funfair, bouncing castles, face-painting, weaving and spinning, Irish dancing, music, butter-making, tractor-backing, sheaf-pitching, and lots of stalls for all. Live music in the Castle Inn afterwards rounded off a great weekend for all involved.
Winner of the sheaf-pitching competition was Gerry Osbourne of Maplestown, Rathvilly, with Brendan Corcoran of Gorteengrone coming in at second place, and Gerry Hyland of Athy, and Declan Corcoran of Gorteengrone taking joint third place. First prize winner of the raffle on Saturday night was Andy Close of Athy, and first prize of Sunday’s raffle was Liam Ryan of Carlow.
On behalf of Castledermot Vintage Club, Secretary, Suzanne Corcoran would like to thank everyone for their support – all those attending and the many volunteers who gave those their time and dedication in preparation for and in the running of the event. Castledermot Vintage Club would also particularly all their generous sponsors for their continued support.
Castledermot Vintage Club are particularly proud to be supporting AWARE who provide a crucial role in suicide prevention nationwide. Suicide is without a doubt one of the saddest events in human experience, and the provision of counselling and a support service for those suffering from depression and mental health problems is fundamental to suicide prevention.
The club hope to see everyone back again next year for their third Annual Threshing & Vintage Working Day.