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As a young man, in the prime of his health, Johnny McMahon was a very progressive agricultural contractor and farmer. Back in 1973, forage harvesting was in its infancy. It was a marathon task.
A Kidd double-chop and Ford 5000 was the height of it – my father had such an outfit. But this was about to change.
New Holland had just developed a range of self-propelled forage harvesters and Johnny McMahon bought one of the first ones in the country, from Kilkenny dealer Mahon and McPhillips, who sold four in 1973. Jaws dropped when this roaring beast blasted through Kildalkey. Today’s equivalent, in tillage terms, is a Fendt 1050 and 12m Horsch Cruiser XL bouncing through the village and that hasn’t happened yet…
Mahon and McPhillips also sold Nuffield tractors and Johnny had at least one. The gear selectors on these tractors used to stick and you had to quickly unscrew the oil cap on the gearbox and poke the selector with a snap-tie. Try doing that on today’s tractors.
As an aside, Mahon and McPhillips sold 400 new tractors in 1977. In 1978, they topped the European market selling 19 self-propelleds. They were farming’s halcyon days kindled by joining the EEC in 1973.
Johnny’s Nuffields gave way to speedy Leylands and I have vivid memories of them with Lee trailers shuttling like Ryanair luggage trains on steroids between field and pit. Johnny would appear in the green Series 3 Land Rover towing a fuel bowser, a pipe hanging from his mouth and his cap at a jaunty angle.
He always had time for us lads and I’m sure with his calm, relaxed, genial style, he was a pleasure to work for.
Johnny was also one of the first in this area to cross the 100hp tractor mark, which he did in style with a new 135hp MF 1135.
When these big Masseys first arrived on the scene, it was a popular misconception that you couldn’t get stuck with a tractor of this power. But being 2WD and coupled to leggy six-furrow Kverneland conventional ploughs, they’d get stuck on a cow sh*te.
In dismally wet 1985, we had just bought the farm where I live now. Our tillage area had increased beyond the scope of our New Holland S1540 and Johnny came to the rescue with his new New Holland 8060. It was a tough christening for any combine.
He also dried the peas for us that year with his Allmet dryer which replaced an earlier Alvan Blanch.
This is still going with neighbours today and must have dried a quarter of a million tonnes by now.
Bale wrapper
The year 1986 was almost as wet as 1985. Grass lay spoiling in the fields and there was a solution but not many knew about it.
The bale wrapper had been born and Johnny had one of the first ones, I’d say, in the country.
Old fellows looked on in disgust at round balers picking up wet grass and then wrapping it in plastic. That will never work, they said.
In 1999 we planted 20ha of broadleaves and Johnny’s digger driver, Pat, meticulously dropped a small pile of soil for each of the 70,000 trees.
Pat was driven berserk with the monotony of the task but Johnny would humour him along and keep him at it.
Alas, the vibrant Johnny succumbed to a life-changing stroke in 2001 and poor health marred his latter years. Last week, on a raw February day, we laid Johnny McMahon to rest in his beloved Kildalkey. May he rest in peace and I know that if someday God in his heaven needs a dig out with anything, Johnny will be the man.
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