Rural Support celebrates successful first year of Corkey Plough On Group

The Corkey group commenced in May 2023 with The Mill, Cloughmills, as the host venue.

Led by group leader Heather White, the group has grown from 11 to 23 men. The group has enjoyed trips to Rathlin Island, Ulster Aviation Museum, George Bingham’s Farm, Moore Concrete, Rodger Bells’ Sheep Farm, Hot Milk Forge, Crumlin Gaol and Wool Board, Antrim.

The group appreciated meeting with Glenarm Plough On Group for Christmas lunch at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena where they had great banter and a lovely meal together.

They also met together at The Mill, Cloughmills, in January for a great laugh when Jennifer Beattie recited some humorous agri poetry.

A key highlight for the Corkey Plough On Group was the completion of their legacy project. Creating a metal based, natural structure was the aim of the Corkey Plough On Group on their visit to the Hot Milk Forge in Martinstown.

The men enjoyed learning from Eamonn about the different types of steel and metal working over the years and hearing about how blacksmithing as a trade has had to adapt to a rapidly changing world to keep this fantastic skill alive.

A thoroughly enjoyable few hours were spent creating, chatting, and reminiscing about local blacksmiths in days gone by, as they were the fixers (with there being no engineers at this time), so if something needed repaired or made from scratch, that was where you went.

The group enjoyed a very welcome bowl of hot stew and apple tart, before being shown round Eamonn’s brother’s Irish Moiled Cattle herd and hearing about how it is the only surviving native breed in Northern Ireland.

The Plough On project aims to tackle rural isolation and increase social opportunities for older male farmers by offering participants the chance to connect with other like-minded individuals on areas of shared interest such as farming, rural heritage, and history.

Benefits of participation include improvements to the farmers’ emotional and mental wellbeing by being part of a new male network focused on farming life, and for the men’s wider farming family who report on the positive impact they see after each monthly meet-up.

Group leader, Heather White, noted: “Coming from a farming background I understand how isolating farming can be for many. I've seen firsthand the benefits of gathering likeminded people together away from the farm and offering them the chance to share talks and trips often with an agricultural theme.

“Our members look forward to our monthly meetings and regularly prioritise the time to attend and catchup with friends new and old over a cup of tea.”