MALACHY HAND, OLDCASTLE, BORN 1952

On a tour of his farm at Bellaney Malachy Hand explains the meaning of the name of the townland, which was once part of the Loughcrew Estate. He provides a brief narrative of his own family’s arrival in the 1830s. The old farm buildings and their uses are described, as are the farming practices employed in his father’s time. He discusses the many changes he has seen in farming over his life. Local fieldnames and their meanings are recorded, as are Malachy’s memories of walking the cattle to the fair on the first Friday of each month. The local games played from the early 1920s are discussed, as is Malachy’s own work as a heritage guide.