Shanes's Castle Steam Engine Rally: Organiser Ian Duff says 'there is something for everyone' on the day

See more about the event here

‘There has been a steam rally at Shane’s Castle every year since 1969, but our event really started in 2000 when myself and two friends decided to set it up over the May Day holiday,’ said Ian.

‘It started as a one day event and it has basically grown and this is our 26th year.

‘It has grown year-on-year as a big vintage event, but we also have a stage with live entertainment and the BBC broadcasting the Hugo Duncan show from it.

‘There is a big agricultural element to the show, which has grown over the years from it originally being the old steam engines, vintage tractors and equipment.

‘Now we have vintage classic cars, trucks and we demonstrate the old-style agriculture methods because there are a lot of people interested in that’.

He added there are over 800 exhibitors with steam engines of all types, vintage tractors, commercial vehicles, vintage cars, stationary engines, threshing mills, stonebreakers and many other vintage agricultural and industrial machines.

The working arenas have threshing and baling, timber sawing, stone breaking and around the Rally Field there are demonstrations of blacksmithing, stone carving, hedging, fencing, stick carving, basket weaving, bread baking, butter making and other traditional skills.

And there are also steam engines rides, a huge fairground with more than thirty rides and side shows and two mobile open farms with lots of animals for the kids to cuddle and caress.

Meanwhile, in the main arena there are continuous displays of stunt driving and riding, sheepdog working demonstrations, RTC rescue demonstrations, Birds of Prey flying displays, Army Displays and demonstrations etc.

He added that this year ‘as the ruins of Shanes Castle are on the site, this year we are setting up a Viking re-enactment village so there is a lot there for the family to come and see’.

Ian, who owns ‘a 1922 steam roller’ says that ‘it would surprise you throughout Ireland there is quite a big movement supporting steam’.

He added: ‘There would be over 100 steam engines in Ireland.

‘It can be an expensive hobby, especially now with fuel costs – and the fact it is 100-year-old machinery built around 1900-1920 so they take quite a bit of maintenance’.

Ian added that people who come to the shows are ‘interested to see the steam engine hooked up to an old stone crusher, doing what they used to do back in the working days’.

‘We have saw benches there as well to cut timbre showing how people did it back in the 1920’s and 1930s. There is a big interest in all that’.

He added that ‘over the two days we would see 20,000 people and on top of that there are around 4,000 participants staying on site’.

‘We have a public campsite as well for people who want to make a weekend of it,’ he added.

‘We start organising just after Christmas and my wife Julie and daughter Rachel are heavily involved booking people into the show.

‘Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council are very supportive and we work with them making sure the show is meeting all the health and safety requirements.

‘Then we also work with the PSNI owing to the amount traffic the show brings into the area. There is a lot of work to get it up and running.

‘It is a good all round family day out because as well as vintage machinery there is a fairground, a really good crafts tent and local foods selling everything from country clothing to salvage stuff.

‘There is also the chance to be part of the driving experience in a Land Rover travelling around a course in the forest and in and out of ditches.

‘There are steam rides on steam engines taking you to parts of the grounds you don’t normally see and lots of food choices.

‘We have kept prices the same as last year because we know how everything has increased in price.

‘It is a vintage rally that offers so much more and the only thing we can’t control is the weather’.