Aine Art,Killashee

Every June as children we walked down the old bog road.Roads that in years gone by echoed to the soft clippety clop of horses hooves,and the trundle of cart wheels,or the soft whirr of bicycles as the turf cutters came and went all Summer long.This work is older than the nation older than any of us know.The Celts made sacrifices to the bogs,to the gods, and bodies have been found preserved like leather in the peat.Men and women mummified in the black thick mass. We searched the hedges on our way for wild duck eggs much to the annoyance of the adult ducks. We had a connection with this place, for it was where our Father and our neighbour cut the sods. They were expert in the use of the slean, and heaped the sods up on the bank for us children to foot. It was hard work but on a sunny day we enjoyed the fresh air, and calling across the bog to our childhood friends who were given the same task. To foot the turf about a dozen sods were stacked up to form a peak, and the wind dried it out...

I absolutely love to receive the gift of books at Christmas, and I lucked out this year by receiving The Cow Book by Longford author John Connell.The Cow Book is the story of one mans life as a farmer, a vivid portrait of a traditional family farm,and a tender meditation on the natural cycle of birth, life and death.Farming has been in John Connells family for generations, but he never intended to follow in his fathers footsteps. Until, one Winter he found himself back on the farm and began to learn the ways of the farmer, and the ways of the cows.Connell records the hypnotic rhythm of the farming day, cleaning the outhouses,putting down hay, milking the cows, and walking the land. Alongside the routine there are the unforseen moments, when a calf fails to trive,when the rain wont stop, when illness breaks out, when depression takes hold, when arguments break out, things said that cant be unsaid. Interwoven throughout is the story of the cow itself,worshipped by the ancient Egyptians ...

If it had not been the demand for heavy horses in the past,for farmwork and on the battle field it is almost certain that most of the heavy breeds would not exist today.Most developed countries have their own heavy large horses,principally bred to pull the plow and other labour saving farm implements, and although their role has been superseded by machines,there are still jobs where the horse cannot be bettered. In remote mountain areas for example, where trucks and tractors could never be transported,mules are the only means of access.In forestry, horses can haul heavy lumber where wheeled motor vehicles cannot go or would not be safe,such as a dangerous incline.Even in highly developed countries that prefere a slower pace of life still farm with horses.The worlds countless miles of waterways,many barges and canal boats are fitted with engines,but the old barge horse plodding along steadily along the towpath is a cleaner, quieter and much more leisurely form of transport. At th...

Its no secret that I love horses.I was raised on a Stud Farm in Co.Meath where my Dad was Stud Groom. As children we loved to hide in barns or lofts,build make believe houses out of bales of hay. We spent many hours running around fields after wayward ponies and when caught and mounted, bucked us off immediately but we didnt give up our mission.My Dad was in charge of the racehorses and that was a very serious business. We were not allowed in to the racing yard for safety reasons as racehorses are highly charged and unpredictable.Racehorse breeding has been and is a highly commercialized venture, some pure breeds can sell for a fortune.The horses with the greatest speed and stamina command the highest prices.Breeders carefully select the horses that win most consistently and are top of their class from which to breed future generations of potential record breakers.Race days are hugh events for owners and breeders often worth a great deal of money to both, and participating horses are ...