100 bales, 32 counties, 6 days.
Nothing says summer like the sound of tractors working busily in fields cutting and baling hay and silage for their livestock for the winter months and a crew of farmers have decided to make the summer ritual into a charity event.
The farmers from the counties of Cavan and Monaghan will take part in the first ever ‘All-Ireland Baling challenge’ on 29 May.
The baling boys and girls will cover 1,220km of tarmac as they travel the length and breadth of the country in the hope of making a ton worth of bales in each.
Their reason for doing this is to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charity at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and Daisy Lodge, which is a therapeutic centre in Newcastle, Co. Down, for families affected by cancer.
For each bale they complete, they hope to raise €10 which will go towards their overall goal of raising €1,000 for their two chosen charities.
The crew of eight, will use the same four tractors with a combination baler unit to complete the task and members of Farm Contractors Ireland have got invovled to contact local farmers in each county along the route to give a helping hand.
They have even sourced their own broadcasters for the journey and agri-entertainment will be on hand to film the entire experience. Surely this will be played every morning as they roll into the first field…
Clip via John Stone
Floyd McNeil, who is also one of the drivers, believes their efforts could take 12 hours or more each day before then travelling to the next county when the last bale is complete.
On day one, the crew will start their adventures in Derry before moving to the capital on day two. They then head down to Munster for two days before heading north-west through Mayo and Sligo and finishing up in Donegal on day six.
As well as the sum they expect to reach for each bale, donation buckets will also be available in each field along the route. There is even extra drivers in the wings waiting to step in if needed.
If you want to find out more about the bale challenge or want to help the crew out with accommodation, food or even to just show your support, visit their Facebook page, ’32 County Bale Challenge’.
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