With the tractors shining, the judges were faced with the difficult task of choosing the overall winner – but in the end, there can only be one champion.
That champion was the Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Club who took top honors in the Ferguson 20 restoration competition, organized by the Irish Vintage Society CLG and AXA.
The judging event was held in Clohamon, County Wexford, and brought together antique clubs from all over Ireland to showcase their beautifully restored Ferguson tractors.
The total prize money for the competition was €8,000, with first prize worth €5,000, second prize worth €2,000 and third prize worth €1,000.
Tom McCarthy, AXA Regional Agricultural Development Manager in Munster, said: “The response to this year’s search for the originally more restored Gray Ferguson 20 has been truly outstanding.
“The passion, craftsmanship and dedication shown by participants and vintage clubs throughout the region reflects the deep pride found in preserving our agricultural heritage for future generations.
“On behalf of AXA, I would like to congratulate every club that participated in this fantastic competition.
“A very special congratulations to the Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Club for being selected as the overall winners.
“Their exceptional restoration is a fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of the iconic Gray Ferguson 20 and to the vibrant antique community that continues to keep this history alive.”
The first winner was Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Club and according to owner Marty Greenan and fellow club member Fergus O’Leary they “haven’t slept a wink” over the last two weeks.
“The tractor is great, it’s great that it paid off, all the hours paid off,” Greenan said.
“We’re just a small club but it means a lot. He (Greenan’s father, who owned the tractor before Greenan) was there today, and it was perfect.”
“It was great to bring the club together and all the boys who work on it.”
Greenan said it’s all hands on deck with the project.
“Don’t get invited to an open shed.
“I didn’t get an invitation when (O’Leary) was there, and I had the yoke,” Greenan laughed.
Marty Greenan’s tractor before restoration Source: Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Club
According to O’Leary, the club recorded his progress on social media – happy to share that “we have nothing to hide” including the fact that he had been “mentally (busy) for the last two weeks”.
He was thrilled the Grennan father and son team were on site to watch the tractor win.
“There are three generations going around us,” he added.
Members of the old club already have their eyes set on their next project – bringing back David Brown next.
According to Grennan, the old club are interested in “any competition at all”.
But he added that these could be important for a new pair of hands.
“Someone else can do it (restoration), I’m done,” he said. Agriland.
The Clonroche/Poulpeasty Vintage Club took first prize in the antique restoration competition. Source: Old Irish Society Clg.
“For a small club, there have been two All-Ireland title wins so far, so it won’t be long until we get more,” Greenan said.
Greenan and O’Leary secured a “clever cab” for the tractor, which, although not original, was appreciated by many who attended the rally.
Greenan has a long history of dealing with old machinery – he claims he bought his first tractor around the time of his company.
But despite the length of time he’s spent on legacy projects, there’s one aspect he always refuses to compromise on – the tires.
Greenan wanted Goodyear tires on his tractor.
The winning tractor had the original hitch and booms in excellent condition, and Marty sought out a safety warning chain attached to the boom lever.
This was to warn operators not to damage their hydraulic pump by removing the stabilizer levers.
The tractor had left the dealership with a “clydebuilt” cab (made by a Scottish engineering company called Innes Walker) and was put back on the tractor.
Greenan said he was very pleased that it “honors the past and preserves our heritage.”
Second place
The Killarney Valley Classic and Vintage Club took second place in the Ferguson 20 restoration competition organized by the Irish Vintage Society (CLG) and AXA.
Club president Tom Leslie said it was easier to find a tractor to restore “when we knew we had a member with us who had the tractor.”
John Howard is the owner of the tractor and his father owned it before him.
“My dad was the first to get it, and we’ve had it since the mid-1960s.
“It’s a Ferguson TEF 20 diesel tractor, it was the first tractor to arrive at the farm, and when it arrived it did all kinds of work.
“It was in pretty bad shape because it had been used over the years,” Howard said.
Ferguson TEF 20 before the restoration project. Source: John Howard
According to Howard, the tractor was running before the restoration. “The engine was very good, but the bodywork needed a lot of attention,” Leslie said.
“Everything needed to be put together, and of course the final finish was the key here for this competition.
“We are pleased to be on the podium with second prize in this competition.
“This will now go to our shows locally in Kerry and Cork, and we will also be displaying it at the National Plowing exhibition for the Irish Vintage Pavilion because we are very proud of the (restored) club,” Leslie said.
The club was fortunate that Howard had plenty of parts in stock to restore the tractors, and later they were able to get a lot of what they didn’t have at various vintage shows around the country.
The tractor has “sentimental value to me and my family,” Howard said, adding that he was proud to see it back in “good condition.”
Members of the Killarney Classic and Vintage Club came out to support ‘Little Gray Fergie’ who came in second place Source: Irish Vintage Society Clg.
According to Leslie, the club has already begun its next restoration project.
“We are currently making a Ford seven-six that came from France,” he revealed.
The tractor is nearly finished and once it is finished, it will be auctioned off and any surplus the club has from the auction will go to a local charity.
Third place
Midwest Donegal Vintage Club took third place.
The club’s tractor restoration also aims to raise awareness of men’s mental health.
Club secretary Daniel Moy said members would be “walking down the road happy” after finishing third.
“We had a lot of work to do, unexpected work. We ended up having to rebuild the gearbox.
“We have been very fortunate with sponsors and donations from people, which has kept the cost down as the restoration continues.
“We bought the tractor as a club to have for the club, and now we plan to put the tractor in the raffle,” Moy said.
According to Moi, the club served as a men’s shed, with a focus on also giving people an outlet to socialize.
He also said the club would consider another restoration, but next time would aim for something “simpler and less time-consuming”.
The Midwest Donegal Vintage Club used this urn to promote men’s mental health. Source: Midwest Donegal Vintage Club
The club wants to raise enough money to set up its own shed.
Moy said: “We are so proud of the club, I posted it on our Whatsapp group after we received word we had won third prize, and the floods of messages started arriving.
“We are all very proud of what we have achieved.
“We can go to any city with this now, and we can show it to anyone.”
Ancient Irish Society
Old Irish Society president Eunan Kelly and chairman Tom Pinder said the competition was initially organized to “promote clubs across the country”.
“It requires a tremendous amount of work, as well as a significant amount of expense,” Binder said.
Tom Pinder and Jonah Kelly are the Antique Irish Society Clg. Chairman and President respectively
He added: “It is a big boost for the clubs that have completed the renovations.
“They have so many options now, they can raffle it off for charity or they can say they have the best restored Ferguson tractor in Ireland.”
Bender himself grew up with “Little Gray Fergie” in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Kelly said his interest in vintage tractors came from working on farms. However, he didn’t have a Ferguson when he was younger. Instead, he was more familiar with the Ford 3000.
According to Bender, at one stage “the Gray Ferguson was a Rolls Royce tractor until about the mid-1970s.”
“100 years after they were first introduced, they are still working on a lot of farms,” he added.
