A passion for ploughing

The Gamble family’s prowess in the field spans three generations, writes

STRONG connections between the sod and man in Ireland have been very visible for centuries through the traditional art of ploughing. However, as tractor technology becomes more advanced some could argue that this ‘art’ is being lost due to the more automated approach rather than human manual skill.

Three generations of the Gamble family from Ballyrobert in Antrim are all involved in vintage ploughing and have even turned the furrows in unison at events.

Passionate ploughmen William Gamble and his son Nigel have more recently been joined by third generation Marc, who has also developed a huge interest in the practice.

The trio have amassed over 100 years of ploughing experience between them and participated at competition events all over Ireland and the UK.

All three men are members of both the Ballynure Vintage Tractor Ploughing Society and Ballyboley Ploughing Society.

Not only do they have a wealth of experience in plough- ing, but have also accumulated an eclectic mix of tractors, each with its own story to tell.

The most experienced ploughman of the three is naturally William who has been ploughing since he was 11 years old in 1948.

Back then, in his youth William learned to plough on a Ferguson Continental tractor while working for a local farmer, as his family was not involved in farming.

“I pretty much got the real passion for ploughing on that farm,” said William. “No one at home was interested in ploughing but the farm I worked on bought a new Ferguson Continental and I taught myself on that tractor with an old single furrow plough.

“In fact, before that, when I was very young, there was an old horse plough at my grandfather’s place.

“I was so keen to find out what it did that I took it into his garden myself and tried to push it around. I soon found out ploughing took a bit more power than what I had to offer back then.”

Through the years that followed, William kept his hand in at the ploughing but it wasn’t until 1974 that he took up competition ploughing as his passion for the art excelled.

Although working full-time as a lorry driver operating a tipper unit for a local quarry, William still found the time to master his skills of ploughing, which he has handed down to his son and grandson.

William said: “I drove a tipper lorry for James Boyd Quarries in Mallusk for 38 years before retiring over 10 years ago. During that time, I kept up the ploughing and started collecting tractors as well.

“I did most of my ploughing on a 1940 Fordson N full wing tractor and competed in two world ploughing championships at Carlow in 1996 and Limavady in 1991.

“I plough in the vintage class and actually came second in Limavady and fifth at the Carlow world event.

“I have also competed at many international matches and, of course, quite a few club matches over the years.

“More recently, my son Nigel has ploughed with the Fordson N and I moved on to a 1948 Case D tractor.

“I first drove that same Case some 60 years ago and chased it all that time before finally being able to buy it for myself at a farm auction just four years ago,” he said.

The first tractor that William ever bought is an orange 1938 Fordson N full wing that he purchased in 1973, just a year before going into competitive ploughing.

William said: “It was a good tractor and still is. Nigel actually painted that tractor in the hayshed many years ago and