Category: 2017 Archive

Described as a true “pocket rocket”, unrivalled four-cylinder power and agility puts the MF 6700 S in a class of its own. Massey Ferguson’s new ‘S Effect’ takes maximum four-cylinder engine output to 200hp for the first time in the flagship MF 6718 S.

The compact, powerful engine, a 2.67m wheelbase and a turning radius of just 4.75m makes the MF 6700 S highly manoeuvrable in all applications. With an exceptional power to weight ratio, the tractor combines the highest performance with optimum economy.

Light and nimble for loader operations, the MF 6700 S Series provides the strength, hydraulic power and lift capacity for heavy duty fieldwork.

Farmec, the machinery distributor based in Co. Meath, will show new Twose hedgecutters at next month’s National Ploughing Championships in Co. Offaly.

The new Twose TW 67T-5 is described as a “very heavy-duty” model. It has a 6.7m reach, a telescopic outer arm, a parallel arm linkage and a fully independent hydraulic system with cast iron pumps and motors.
It also comes with LED road lights, an oil cooler and electronic joystick controls, which provide proportional control of all arm movements.
The Sulky range of power harrows, seed drills and fertiliser spreaders – including the latest DX Series – will also feature at the event.
The MX loader range will be out in force. According to Farmec, MX’s T and U Series loaders are designed for “intensive use” and are regarded as “premium” options in the front loader market.
Also present will be Bargam sprayers; the line-up includes tractor-mounted, trailed, self-propelled and amenity models. The distributor claims that the Grimpeur self-propelled sprayer has been a particular favourite with potato growers, due to its “ability to operate in very difficult working conditions”.
Also on Farmec’s stand will be the latest SIP range of mowers, tedders and rakes.
The machines will be present on Stand 387, Row 17 in Block 20 at September’s National Ploughing Championships.

CENSORTEC LTD a southern based agricultural company with extensive experience in the Irish Agricultural industry will debut there latest product at the National Ploughing Event 2017. Based in County Kerry, Censortec LTD secured the Irish rights to distribute the world’s leading animal monitoring systems NEDAP LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS. NEDAP have been developing animal monitoring systems for up to 35 years and would be considered the original pioneers of sensor technology in the agricultural industry.

Nedap has recently taken a major step forward in this area with the intelligent Smarttag Neck for Heat Detection with Eating Monitoring & Rumination. The Detection technology not only alerts you to cows in heat in good time, it also draws attention to any animals in your herd with possible health problems. So you can improve your insemination results and check or treat animals with possible health problems in plenty of time and with the greatest of ease. However it’s this development coupled with impressive battery life and a reduced cost of ownership that will make Censortec s introduction to the Irish Market a game changer.

The system is extremely suitable for Irish dairy and beef farms as it is adaptable to any size or shape of farm. “We are extremely excited about bringing this state of the art animal monitoring systems to Irish farmers”, Says Sean Crowley of Censortec. “We are unique to the market with regards cost of ownership, operating costs, accuracy and simplicity. The most significant benefit the Nedap SmartTag brings to the market is its battery life which makes the system very cost effective. We invite you to come and look at the system for yourself at the upcoming national ploughing” Censortec can be contacted at sales@censortec.com and 086-8592968.

In July 1817, two Presentation Sisters travelled on the Grand Canal from Dublin to Killina, near Tullamore, Co. Offaly. Their arrival heralded the beginning of a story of involvement with the community of Rahan and the wider area, which spanned the two centuries to the present day.

It was not by accident that the Presentation Sisters founded their convent in Killina, a rural parish west of Tullamore. Miss Maria O’Brien, daughter of a wealthy merchant family in Dublin, was the owner of Rahan Lodge and its adjoining estate. Recognising the need to improve the plight of the local children, Maria responded with generosity by establishing her own school in 1812. She used her contact with the Archbishop of Dublin to extend an invitation to the Presentation Sisters in George’s Hill, Dublin, to come to Killina to provide for the continuity of education for the children of the parish. (The Presentation Order had been founded by Nano Nagle in 1775, with the aim of looking after the educational needs of the poor). She also provided some funds and land for the convent and gained permission and support from the Bishop of Meath, Bishop Plunkett.

On the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16th 1817, Sisters Mary Angela and Sister Mary Teresa Biggar, who were siblings, arrived in Killina. Within weeks, on September 1st, they opened their school to over 100 pupils. The small school house that was already there, thanks to Maria O’Brien, was extended to provide living accommodation for the Sisters. Maria O’Brien, herself, joined the Presentation Order and spent the last five years of her life, until her death in 1827, in the convent she had been so instrumental in founding.

Life cannot have been easy for the first Sisters in Killina Convent. They had to work hard teaching and running the school for the large number of pupils, whilst at the same time balancing their spiritual and household duties. Other Sisters joined, including a mother and daughter –the St. Ledgers- but the numbers remained small. Indeed, when Mother Francis Xavier Curran left Killina in 1841 to found the first Presentation Convent in India, at Madras, (accompanied by Sisters from Maynooth) there were only seven Sisters in Killina.

The Sisters were pioneering women who showed a great generosity of spirit in devoting their lives to improving the circumstances of the parish community. Apart from the three Rs, the Sisters prepared the children for the Sacraments and looked after their spiritual formation through Sunday School and Sodalities. During the Famine, the Sisters taught lace-making to the women of the parish, in an effort to provide them with an extra source of income. Over the years, they carried out other charitable works, quietly extending help to those in need. Their generosity also involved investing their private salary from teaching back into the school.

When a brand new primary school, incorporating a secondary top, was built in the 1960s, it was a joyful time. However, in the following decade, the Sisters, supported by the local community, struggled to retain the senior cycle, in opposition to Government policy of the 1970s.In 1977, their persistence was rewarded and the school was granted full secondary status.
The numbers attending the secondary school have grown steadily and include a Resource Centre for students with a Moderate General Learning Disability.

The Presentation Girls National School and the local Boys National School amalgamated in 2009. This was a poignant event for the Sisters.

The continuing presence of the Sisters in Killina today is a testament to their dedication and commitment to the Presentation ethos and to the people of Rahan. In return, they are much appreciated and valued as friends by the local community.

Sr. Oliver Wrafter is the only current Sister who has spent her entire religious life in Killina since she joined the Presentation Order in February 1941.