*Joe Whelan.
A TRACTOR Museum dedicated to the life of Harry Ferguson will be officially opened in Kilrush next week.
West Clare businessman Joe Whelan’s vision of opening the Ferguson Museum comes to fruition in Kilrush next Monday adjacent to the Museum of Irish Rural Life on the Cooraclare Road in Kilrush.
Joe Whelan combined his passion for history and tractors to complete the museum, which is the culmination of 10 years of work and contains more than a dozen restored vintage Ferguson tractors. All the tractors are in working order, however Joe says they are in the museum to stay. “I would have restored these tractors over a period of 50 years, it’s something you hand over to the next generation,” he tells The Clare Echo.
The Whelan family have proudly run a Massey Ferguson dealership for over two decades and Joe told The Clare Echo that William Judge, brand manager at Massey Ferguson will be in Kilrush to open the museum.
Joe has sourced all the tractors himself and the museum has been brought to life by the paintings of artist Cortney Westhoff O’Farrell, who played a key role in painting the restored Ferguson tractors along with a tapestry of paintings which adorn the museum, telling the story of Harry Ferguson.
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🎙️Here’s our Head of News & Sport, Páraic McMahon with the details.
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County Down native Harry Ferguson invented the hydraulic lift and revolutionised agricultural machinery. Today he is widely known for the Massey Ferguson, the best-selling tractor in County Clare and indeed across Ireland with a market share of more than 20 per cent.
The Ferguson Museum is the latest addition to the Museum of Irish Rural Life, which is a labour of love for Joe along with his friends Patrick Burke and Patrick Murrihy. The trio have over the last decade worked on restoring a myriad of artefacts from Irish history.
“When I retired from the business about 13 years ago and handed it over to my sons Kevin and Joseph, I knew I was too active to sit down. I like working with my hands, so I got together with Patrick Burke and Patrick Murrihy. They come in every day and we work together,” explains Joe.
The museum is an educational experience, packed full of trinkets and historically significant pieces. The countless artefacts include an oar from the Lusitania which washed up on Kilkee beach, a telephone from the Kilrush RIC Barracks from the early 20th century, a rare antique plough which was manufactured in Kilrush, a telephone switchboard from Kilrush, historical weapons and much more. Upstairs in the museum sits a bust of President John F Kennedy, which was presented to Joe when he was in the Air Corps and took part in a guard of honour for JFK when he visited Ireland in 1963.
The building itself carries its own history and operated as a busy poultry farm and egg store throughout the early 20th century, a story which is told in the museum. One could spend hours getting lost in the multitude of historical items which have been carefully selected by Joe over the years. Joe’s fascination with bog oak is evident, with 6,000-year old black bog oak on display and forming part of the framework of the museum’s interior.
Joe tells The Clare Echo that the Museum of Irish Rural Life and the Ferguson Museum are open seven days a week, from 9am to 6pm. Entry to both is free and Joe is available to give walking tours to visitors. That in itself is an experience; the Irish-speaking 80-year old loves dealing with people and is a wealth of historical knowledge, seamlessly flickering between talking history and telling enthralling stories of his own youth growing up in Kilrush.
The opening of the Ferguson Museum takes place on Monday, March 18 at 2pm. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.
