Plenty of machinery, prizes, music and entertainment
IF you thought the Mid Kerry Vintage Rally was just a place where guys stood around admiring the ability of old machines ticking away to their hearts content, then you’d be seriously mistaken.
It’s much more than that and part of what keeps it running so smoothly is the skill of being able to incorporate many other entertaining events that have nothing whatsoever to do with vintage machinery. Here’s a glance:
The music? For starters, get a load of the music line-up: The Singing Jarvey, Robert Quinlan, Sliabh Mish Comhaltas, Timmy O’Connor and The Glen Ramblers.
The machinery? Vintage cars, trucks and tractors, 2 steam engines, 8 threshers – which is a rare sight to see working on any given day. Motorbikes, farm machinery, station engines. A farrier working and carrying out various old farm practises to bring back memories and give younger ones a feel for what it was like in olden days. The prizes? Fantastic prizes are on offer again this year which include a beautiful piece of jewellery, which is a gate prize, a weekend away for two in The Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown; home heating oil to the value of €300; coal to the value of €200, and many more hampers and spot prizes on the day including a raffle for a lorry load of turf. Jack Duggan’s Bar have donated the main prize and tickets are currently on sale in Castlemaine and throughout Mid Kerry.
The entertainment? This includes a kids’ corner, bouncy castle, sheep shearing, dog show, food and beverages served all day, two large screens for the Kerry v Dublin match (so you won’t miss a thing!), sheaf tossing and a ladies and gents tug of war.
“We’re just delighted that so many support this very worthy cause and we wish to thank everyone that donated money, time and help in making this one of the best vintage rally day’s in Kerry. Thanks also to Knightley’s’ Bar who recently held a special ‘pig on a spit’ night to help raise funds and they have given us huge support over the years. The Castle Inn will also run a vintage run in the October weekend, so great thanks is owed to all of them,” explained Denis.
“It just wouldn’t be possible without our band of volunteers who make it the success it is. It just seems to be getting better by the year and it is one of the best there is, certainly in Kerry. Brackhill is also a great location for the rally with a good passing trade and solid ground underneath.”