Today Roma and I visited one of those locations that I have passed many times over the years with a "I must check that out sometime..." thought without actually doing so. So Johnstown Castle, just outside Wexford town, was the venue with the Agricultural Museum also on the agenda. The ticket for both was €8 - so not cheap. However, it is well worth the cost as the Castle and grounds are wonderful and a pleasure to walk around. Today there was an exhibition of ancient activities such as archery and falconry, as well as a Famine display that was very interesting.
The Agricultural Museum was fantastic - lots of interesting machinery like Ferguson tractors that I remember well, and old style farm equipment that in many cases involved back-breaking work to operate. There was ingenuity in their creation that nowadays seems to be easy. The machinery is restored in almost perfect condition, and if you are interested in how agriculture was operated a hundred years ago - go to this museum.
But one of the best bits for Roma and me was to find a Renault 4L car like the ones that we both learned to drive in during the late 1970s - we both did our driving tests in one of these. The O'Loughlin version was a van, but the Bourke one was like the one in the photo below (except it as red). We both had good fun looking at the quirky gear lever coming out of the middle of the dashboard, and the funny method for opening the windows. Nostalgia.......you know you are getting old when the car you learned to drive in appears in a museum!
No comments:
Post a Comment