C’mon with the digger: potato harvesting film to be shown in Clonmany

The Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group will host a special film screening of ‘Potato Gathering in the Fields of Donegal’ in the Market House, Clonmany, on Friday 20 November.

Presented by David Gallagher, the film was recorded over 20 years ago by people in Illies, and it recounts how potato gathering developed from the backbreaking gathering by hand to the mechanised practices of today.

The film recalls a time when the potato harvest was a major event in the farming calendar every autumn, bringing together families, neighbours and hired workers, with people of all ages labouring in the fields and gathering their stint.

For generations, the potato was central to farming and family life throughout Inishowen. It was the mainstay of rural households, providing food through the long winter months and supporting the local farming economy.

It also highlights the many traditional tools and implements used before mechanisation transformed potato gathering. These included the loy, steveen, wooden and metal ploughs, grubbers, four-pronged graips, potato forks, wicker creels baskets and riddles.

The work was often physically demanding, particularly in wet weather, but potato gathering was also an important social occasion, rooted in community cooperation – the meitheal.

Once harvested, potatoes had to be carefully sorted and stored to provide food throughout the winter. Traditional potato pits, often constructed in fields or close to family homes, were covered with straw, rushes and earth to protect the crop from frost, dampness and rot.

The film also remembers the ‘tattie hokers’, the Donegal people who travelled to Scotland to work in the potato fields, departing from Derry aboard the famous ‘Scotch Boat’.

Those old traditions form an important part of Inishowen's agricultural and social heritage. The memories of potato planting and gathering reflect a way of life shaped by hard work, family involvement, community spirit and a close dependence on the land.

David Gallagher and the Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group hopes the screening will appeal to people of all ages, particularly those with memories of potato gathering or an interest in the history of farming and rural life in Inishowen. They warmly invite everyone to attend what promises to be an enjoyable and nostalgic evening celebrating an important part of the peninsula's past.

The screening will be held in the Market House, Clonmany, on Friday 20 November.

Doors open at 7pm, with the screening commencing at 7.30pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the many historical potato harvesting artifacts on display. Light refreshments will be provided after the film presentation, allowing people to mingle and discuss the history of the potato industry of Inishowen.

For further information, contact the Clonmany Genealogy and Heritage Group on 086 6092369 or email [email protected].