New Old Ways of Farming, Co. Monaghan, Ireland 1999

The story of a man who has stuck to his old farming ways.
Clontibret, Co. Monaghan is a rural parish where farming is the main occupation. Benny Moen farms 40 acres there and uses traditional farming methods. Benny has real contact with the earth as he goes about his daily tasks. Benny describes his work as very satisfying despite the manual nature of his work. He claims that as a small farmer, to buy machinery, would just burden himself with overheads. Benny prefers to work with horses over machinery as he says they each have a personality.
Back at home Benny’s wife, Teresa, understands Benny’s obsession with the land as it is what he has done from an early age.

[@margaretnesbeth593]

I loved that presenter back in the day, he has a lovely soothing voice.

[@prepperinireland2240]

What a fine, honest way of life. That was lovely to watch, thanks. The relationship he has with his horses is beautiful.

[@turloughkennedy6579]

This is what a real farmer is like. Someone who understands the land and the animals and life in general.

[@whitetroutchannel]

and doesnt destroy the land with chemical

[@dbcooper7326]

O stony grey soil of Monaghan The laugh from my love you thieved; You took the gay child of my passion And gave me your clod-conceived. You clogged the feet of my boyhood And I believed that my stumble Had the poise and stride of Apollo And his voice my thick tongued mumble. You told me the plough was immortal! O green-life conquering plough! The mandril stained, your coulter blunted In the smooth lea-field of my brow. You sang on steaming dunghills A song of cowards' brood, You perfumed my clothes with weasel itch, You fed me on swinish food You flung a ditch on my vision Of beauty, love and truth. O stony grey soil of Monaghan You burgled my bank of youth! Lost the long hours of pleasure All the women that love young men. O can I stilll stroke the monster's back Or write with unpoisoned pen. His name in these lonely verses Or mention the dark fields where The first gay flight of my lyric Got caught in a peasant's prayer. Mullahinsa, Drummeril, Black Shanco- Wherever I turn I see In the stony grey soil of Monaghan Dead loves that were born for me.

[@williamoneill5498]

Always loved Patrick Kavanagh. His wonderful poetry. One of the first books I ever read "the green fool" How appropriate that you posted this verse to the wonderful man of Monaghan soil above. Kavanagh would have well recognised him and oft cast a few Lines.

[@leonnage961]

Benny’s first remark “Nobody said they’d round me up or close me up for doing it” - what a man.

[@memisemyself]

It looks idyllic but when all farms were worked that way, a farmer's life expectancy was in the low 60's. Now it's in the high 70's. Not only did they die young but their later years were plagued by bad hips, knees and backs. They walked in pain and had gnarled hands from injuries. It was a hard life, with little rest and few days off. If you're longing to go back to those times and ways, remember too that you'll have little cash and if you have a bad crop, you'll have even less. If you have a poor yield, your animals get sick or die or you can't work because of injury or illness, you could be facing hunger. Those ways were abandoned for a reason.

[@michaeloconnor9809]

What you say is largely true, my father often bemoaned the sheer drudgery of it and never ending work. However it was kinder to the soil, water table, air and nature.

[@memisemyself]

@@michaeloconnor9809 I was writing purely about it's effect on the human body. It was kinder to nature but I'm not sure that it was always kinder to the soil. Don't forget that stone age farmers, using even more primitive tools and methods are responsible for huge soil erosion along the west coast of Ireland. Intensive farming, regardless of the methods used, is not good for the soil. All forms of farming is bad for nature, it's just how bad it is that varies.

[@LarryLongtimegone]

You nailed the other side of the coin there in half a dozen sentences, memisemyself.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

@@memisemyself Then what is the solution.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

By the late 1990’s medical knowledge had likely advanced to deal with musculoskeletal injuries that might arise from manual labour.

[@Toploftical]

We'll be back doing this soon enough.

[@aaronrider4051]

Please God that we may!

[@Torontokid]

A true farmer and kind man. To get along with horses you need a kind heart.

[@hilltop521]

They are very handy for corners or damp areas but hard to come by

[@joepineapples9332]

Good man yourself Benny!!

[@amandaorourke3036]

What became of him? This is a beautiful little treasure. Thank You so much.

[@MariaMartinez-kg6ns]

Thank you for the video it beautiful

[@caseyquinn5634]

i grew up not that far away and know of many like this man. other means of sowing seed is called broadcasting.

[@nielsebbesen7821]

This is the best hangover cure yet!

[@michaelf4506]

Fair play to that man that's a hard life and he wouldn't change it for the world

[@CorbettK42]

I remember my Dad was training a young horse and a lorry driver honked his horn for no reason as he passed the horse which ruined that horse because he had a fear of lorries from then on

[@bigears4426]

If he wants to do his way why should anyone else care , he's fit if nothing else

[@charliekavanagh1217]

Out standing in his own field

[@bartonseagrave9605]

Benny has been growing stones since I was born.

[@sitluxetluxfuit4481]

Damn, my grandfather own one of those seedspreders . Never saw him work it . By to time I got to see it it was half rotten with woodworm unfortunately.

[@seriousstuff8887]

This is the sort of fella that will live until he's a hundred or more .

[@brianpeters7847]

Every time I hear the pipes a chill goes through me and l want some Battle...

[@amandaorourke3036]

They are not BV war pipes, they are uilean or union pipes....made for sitting down, not for marching or charging....

[@noelmaher4633]

CR now doing videos in KMs... Catching up on us....

[@whitetroutchannel]

i think i seen this awl boy doin this on lesser spotted ulster on utv aswell

[@dannymcintyre3819]

Is benny moen's familly still in the area?

[@davidphillips2259]

Them horses look like the walking Dead 💀

[@Dubhfinna420]

And he is right so

[@fordford9133]

No Jim fresh air

[@hilltop521]

Where are those seed fiddle available don't see them around

[@oscarosullivan4513]

No longer made I assume and rarely used anymore. Surviving examples in museums or private homes.

[@dannypower1319]

These days are gone the good news is jesus is coming soon 🙏🙌

[@kaimcloughlin8981]

Tell him to bring a drop of milk for the tae

[@dannypower1319]

Heaven or hell u choose

[@kaimcloughlin8981]

@@dannypower1319 milk no sugar

[@TheElvismcgee]

Hes fuckin coming a long time now,wonder whats keeping him?

[@johngilmore6688]

@@TheElvismcgee He's not coming, he's on the way!

[@TheSeandb]

Nancy go on out

[@conalllavery351]

Alternative title :Monaghan man to tight to buy tractor.

[@choctaw6838]

I'd say the birds ate a lot of the seed . 🌱🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

[@johncumiskey672]

When the scarecrow got tattered , father told me , its your turn now , the night's were the worst..

[@gravvin845]

Spoiler alert. He's too tight to buy for a tractor and all that goes with it

[@sydneywood4511]

A fool and his money are easily parted

[@michaeloconnor9809]

You will never get a replacement or compost from a tractor.

[@timmyjones599]

@@michaeloconnor9809 .this man is an excellent farmer, I hope you are half as good

[@oscarosullivan4513]

He is also in good shape for a farmer and his age.