Making hay a stone’s throw from city centre

Despite of the rain showers, volunteers last weekend cut the long grass in a meadow of Terryland Forest Park and bailed it into haycocks, probably the first time such an activity was done so close to the city centre for many’s a long year.

According to Brendan Smith, one of the organisers the experience was ‘a lovely trip down memory lane’ for the enthusiastic people who went to the forest park last weekend, some equipped with their own dusted-down scythes to join members of Cumann na bhFear (Ballinfoile Mór Men’s Shed) and other men and women in mowing the wildflower meadow that was created last year by Conservation Volunteers.

All the scythers (spealadóiri) were from small farming backgrounds and many wanted to relive happy childhood memories of working in the fields with family and neighbours cutting the long grass to make winter fodder for cattle.

Most were Irish but Viorel from Romania, Maria from Poland and Zia from Bangladesh are from countries where hand-held scything is still a common method of mowing a field of corn, bamboo or grass.

It was emotional for participants to hear once again the whoosh of the scythe and the scraping of the sharpening stone. After the cutting came the raking to form lovely haycocks, tied by ropes weighed down with stones.

While the grass-cutting was taking place, other volunteers were planting four hundred more native wildflowers including heather, iris and ragged robin.

To give some respite from the hard exertions of farming the workers, as in days of old, gathered together to enjoy tea, homemade cakes and banter.

“This special heritage occasion will be built on in the coming years and become a regular community event in the Terryland Forest Park calendar,” Brendan Smith said.