Meet the farmers who are 'ploughing on', but not in the fields!

These men are 'Ploughing On', but for once, not in the fields.

Instead, they are heading off for day trips, enjoying a meal out, or sharing a joke, story and yarn at Ederney Community Hub.

Much of the talk is, as could be expected, farming-related.

But for these men, many of whom are retired and live alone, the programme from Rural Support has proven to be an important social lifeline.

"It's a good place to talk about farming, surely!" laughed Plough On member, Liam McLaughlin, amid the buzz of conversation and laughter at the September meeting.

"It's always an enjoyable outing. You get away to plenty of places, and there's always a good dinner thrown into the bargain!"

Like many of the participants, Mr. McLaughlin is retired but is still involved in farming. The group helps him connect with like-minded individuals.

"I am retired but when I was working I was always out and about chatting to people," he explained.

"I would miss that now, being retired, so this group helps me keep connected and socially active. It gets me away from the farm.”

Sitting beside Mr. McLaughlin was fellow Ederney farmer, Danny Gormley. Similarly, he feels the social element is the main benefit of attending Plough On.

"I joined up when the group was founded, and it's been a good move," he said. "Farming can be a bit isolating, so getting out to this kind of thing is great.

"I try to be at something different every day."

The group, which is facilitated by charity Rural Support and hosted at Ederney Community Hub, was founded in April, 2023, and is going from strength to strength.

An initial membership of 13 has now grown to 29 and, to date, members have enjoyed days trips to the Clogher Valley Show, the Ulster American Folk Park, and Enniskillen Lifeboat Station, to name but a few.

Retired vet and group member, Cormac McKervey, said he has met "new and valuable friends" because of the group.

"I retired as a vet in the year 2000, and I always felt that it was important to keep active and stay out and about," Mr. McKervey said.

"The socialisation is the main benefit. It's a great thing, and I have made many new and valuable friends."

Indeed, the odd joke and quip is  never far away at an outing.

"I'm going strong and I'll soon be a hundred years of age!" laughed Henry Ellis, who later revealed that his real age is in fact 87.

"I would have to say the days out are my favourite thing about it all,” he added. “Sure, you have to keep active when you're older, don't you? It's no good sitting in the house."

Fellow member Bertie Law interjected: "Sure that man [Henry] would have been at every dance in the country, every night of the week!"

"I don't dance as much now!" quipped Mr. Ellis in response. "Well ... maybe just a little bit!"

The Ederney man continued: "There's no dancing here, mind you. We used to go to the Corner Bar, just up the street. We didn't take much drink, maybe one or two was the height of it. The dancing was the most important thing."

Another local character, 89-year-old Patrick McEnhill, had his own anecdotes about Plough On, and life in general.

"I am at the stage of life where I wake up in the morning, switch on the radio and listen to the death notices being read out. If my name isn’t on it, I get up!" laughed Mr. McEnhill.

"It's [Plough On] lovely for a man like me. It gives me some place to go, with great outings and things like that. Sure, you couldn't beat it."

Mr. McEnhill, who lives in the Lough Bradan area near Scraghey Mountain, continued: "I have had a lifestyle of hard work, whether it be working in a garage or farming. Back in those days, the days weren't long enough.

"It's like the story of an aul' man from Drumquin; when he came in at bedtime, it was too dark to work outside. He threw his boots by the fire, but he wished it was tomorrow so he could put them back on!

"But, let me tell you, life's not all about work. You have to enjoy yourself too."

As Mr. McEnhill spoke, he became somewhat distracted by the arrival of lunch; a permanent feature of any Plough On meeting, regardless of location.

"Over to the trough now, fellas!" laughed Bertie Law.

Whilst the raucous meeting calmed down and the men 'grazed', I spoke to facilitator, Neil Armstrong, about the positive impact that Plough On has had on members.

"For many of these men, farming was their social outlet," Mr. Armstrong explained. "But that can be taken away, either through succession or age.

"Whether it's that weekly trip to the mart, or that journey out to a merchants, when that's taken away, it has a big impact.

"Plough On is a place for men to come together and connect. For many, it's a lifeline. Something so simple as a trip out once a month can go a long way in combating rural isolation."

Mr. Armstrong said that participants have forged lasting friendships and support each other through good times and bad.

"They really do look out for each other,” he said. “If a member isn't able to attend for whatever reason, you can be sure the whole group will be asking about them, and they will all be over the moon when they return.

"When the group started, I would have rang around the 13 members to tell them what was happening.

"Initially, those calls took half an hour. Now they might take four nights, as they are becoming more open about what's going on in their lives.

"Without a doubt, there’s that pastoral element, as well as the craic. Some of the jokes that are told here are simply fantastic, and the breadth of knowledge these men have about rural life is incredible.

“This is truly invaluable, and it's great to able to tap into that for the betterment of Ederney village."

Another group member, Anthony Mulligan, summed up the Plough On group in his own words.

"I see the positivity that has came from this in terms of combating rural isolation," said the local farmer, who breeds pedigree Irish-moiled cattle, but equally enjoys days away.

"There's plenty of joking, fun, singing and going on. Sure, that's what it's all about!"