BY PAUL CONNAUGHTON

THE ever popular Mountbellew Vintage Festival will be held on this Sunday in the grounds of Mountbellew Co-Op Mart – and thanks to the generosity of local landowners the size of the site has been extended to over 60 acres which will provide ample parking for everyone attending the festival and within walking distance of all activities.

The range of ancient items on display which will include  everything elephant sized steam engines down to the little dog shepherding a group of ducks right in the middle of the crowd.

As the years passed since its inception in 2000, the public’s appetite for all things vintage has been increasing year on year.

Despite the remarkable changes that have happened over the past 25 years in Irish society, the ‘old ways’ of doing things in rural Ireland holds a fascination for all ages and for people from all walks of life.

Chairman of the Vintage committee, Michael Joe Cunningham, has received enquiries from all over Ireland and from Northern Ireland and he expects a great number of people to travel to the festival.

There will be several working field exhibitions including a new addition this year of cutting silage with the oldest of machinery. The ever popular hay making is also on the display agenda and also new this year is a complete rigged-out saw mill and because of the recent storm there is no shortage of felled timber to work on.

Music will feature prominently this year with Jack Keogh and his five piece band from Wicklow taking centre stage.

One of the special feature sthis year is a beautiful totally restored 1929 Rolls Royce Phantom car which will be shown by its new owner Kevin Cunningham from Mountbellew.

The car was delivered to Mountbellew to its new owner last week by Derek Mathewson, Classic Car Auctions and presenter of Bangers and Cash on Sky TV. Many elite movers &andshakers of European high society were previous owners of this car during its 96 year history.

Also on display will be the tradition butter making exhibition, silage harvesting with 1960s style equipment and for good measure a fully trained blacksmith will shoe horses

And of course, there will be fierce competition when all the lawnmowers get into the race.

The sound of the threshing mill will resonate with many older people whilst the sunny and not so sunny summers of our youth saving the hay will bring back many memories. That was when people had time on their hands to talk to their neighbours and help out with the work..

Special safety plans have been put in place to ensure that there will be complete safety particularly for children and this will be overseen by specially trained committee members Joe Tracey and Eugene Crehan.

■ Admission is €10 per person. Children and parking are free. Gates open at 9am with entertainment right through the day until 6pm. For more information: contact either Paul Connaughton on 087-8142540 or Michael Joe Cunningham, Chairman Mountbellew Vintage, at  086-1016748.

Pictured: Gerry Cunninghamm, Kevin Cunningham, Eugene Crehan, Rory Cunningham, MJ Cunningham, Padraic Booth, Kieran Murray, Johnny Regan, John Morrissey, Christy Smyth, Kevin Cummins, Deirdre Smyth and Angela Fahy, at the launch of the Mountbellew Vintage Show which takes place on this coming Sunday on the mart grounds.