TOLLOGHER / ROSBERCON SHOW 2013

November 22nd, 2013

WE HAVE ADDED TO OUR GALLERY PAGE PHOTOS TAKEN BY Mr Dan Kennedy WHO ATTENED THIS SHOW EARLIER IN THE YEAR …THANKS DAN

CALLING ALL CARS..CALLING ALL CARS

November 21st, 2013

JUST A QUICK NOTE TO SAY THAT ANYONE THINKING OF HEADING TO THE ARMY BARRACKS ON DECEMBER 1st PLEASE RING DAVID DREELING “”””””AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”””””” WITH NAMES AND REG OF YOUR VINTAGE CAR

CONTACT DAVID ON 087 6769798

YOU COULD BE GOING HOME ON THIS

REMEMBER THIS IS THE DAY OF OUR LAST MEETING IN DANESFORT FOR 2013 AND ON THE DAY APART FROM OUR OWN RAFFLE THERE WILL BE A CHANCE TO BUY TICKETS FOR THAT RAFFLE FOR THE BABY FORD . ONE OF THE PEOPLE RUNNING THIS EVENT, ANN MARIE COOPER WILL BE THERE

VINTAGE TRACTORS HAVE TO BE FITTED WITH ROLLBARS

November 18th, 2013

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IT SEEMS THAT ALL TRACTORS INCLUDING VINTAGE THAT ARE USED ON PUBLIC ROADS OR AT PUBLIC EVENT HAVE TO HAVE A PROPER MANUFACTURED ANTI ROLLBAR FITTED

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar): I thank the Senator for drawing my attention to this issue. As a road safety matter relating to vehicle standards, I have accepted the transfer of the matter from my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.

It is generally accepted that tractors operated unsafely are potentially lethal, and accidents involving agricultural tractors account for a very high proportion of all farm accidents each year. In fact, statistics compiled by the Health and Safety Authority show that farm vehicles and machinery account for the highest proportion of farm deaths and accidents. In the period 2000 to 2010, 19% of fatalities involving vehicles were as a direct result of the vehicle overturning while being driven by the operator.

It is important to address any perception that there are no safety standards in place for vintage tractors. On the contrary, the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 1969 require all tractors used in a public place, irrespective of age, to have roll-over protective structures of an appropriate standard fitted. These generally take the form of a cab or frame that provides a safe environment for the tractor operator in the event of a roll-over. Also known as anti-roll bars or cabs, they are designed to prevent death, minimise injury and protect the driver from being crushed if the tractor overturns. The regulations, which have been in effect since 1 September 1977, mean that all vintage tractors – that is, tractors which are more than 30 years old – which are driven in a public place for whatever reason, whether taking part in a vintage run or otherwise, must, by law, have the safety structures referred to by the Senator. A public place is defined in road traffic legislation as “any street, road or other place to which the public have access with vehicles whether as of right or by permission and whether subject to or free of charge”.

Enforcement of road traffic law is a matter for An Garda Síochána. Regulations provide that the penalty for a breach is a direct summons to court and, on conviction, a class C fine, namely, up to €2,500, or a prison sentence or both. This relates to the person who commits the offence and the owner of the vehicle. I am advised that the protection structures must pass a series of static or dynamic crush tests. These tests examine the ability of the structures to withstand various loads in order to ascertain whether the protective zone around the operator station remains intact in an overturn. The tests are extensive and destroy the roll-over protective structure.

A homemade bar attached to the tractor axle cannot protect the operator if the tractor overturns. Vintage tractor owners should not, therefore, add their own roll-over protection devices to tractors which were manufactured without such protections. Without proper design and testing, homemade devices offer a false sense of security which can be more dangerous than operating a tractor without ROPS. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, has standards for the design of roll-over protective structures, and these are the appropriate standards referenced in the road traffic regulations.

There are several ways to reduce the possibility of tractor roll-overs, but it is important to remember that they are not a substitute for ROPS. Operators of tractors equipped with ROPS are advised to avoid sharp turns and reduce speed when turning because, unlike cars, tractors have a high centre of gravity and can tip or overturn more easily. Drivers are also advised to avoid driving on steep embankments, near ditches and around holes. These areas are more likely to lead to a roll-over because the ground can give way and the tractor lose support. When conditions require operation on steep slopes, operators should travel in the forward direction down the slope and in the reverse direction back up the slope. This will place the tractor in a more stable position and reduce roll-over risks. Older tractors can be retrofitted with roll-over protections systems, for which vehicle owners are advised to engage the services of a dealer for their particular brand of tractor. The services of an automotive engineer may also be required in instances where a particular brand or marque of tractor is no longer in production.

In short, in the interests of safety for both driver and other road users, owners and operators of vintage agricultural tractors are obliged to mount roll-over protection on their vehicles when in use in a public place. The age of the vehicle has no bearing on this requirement.

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013101700021?opendocument

SAINT JAMES’S PARK 2013

November 17th, 2013

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WE HAVE NOW GOT THE CHANCE TO UPDATE OUR GALLERY PAGE AND WE HAVE PUT UP SOME PHOTOS OF OUR BIG DAY,(60) THIS TIME WITH MORE TO FOLLOW IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO . A BIG THANKS TO MARK WALSH WHO TOOK THE TIME TO TAKE THESE ON THE DAY OVER 400

HERE IS A TASTE OF WHATS TO COME IN THE “GALLLERY SECTION” in “THE PARK 2013”

LOST WRENCHES

November 14th, 2013

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HERES SOMETHING FROM DOWN UNDER FROM STEPHAN KENNA

No wonder I can never find the right size, he’s got them all!! How cool is this guy???He lives near Boort, Victoria, Australia and does it all by himself from a wheel chair

.Amazing

CHRISTMAS MEETING EXTRA TREAT

November 14th, 2013

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AS YOU KNOW OUR NEXT MEETING IS THE LAST FOR THIS YEAR AND IS ON SUNDAY THE 1st DECEMBER IN DANESFORT HALL AT 3 pm . WE WILL HAVE OUR SPECIAL TEA AND BUNS AND OUR SUPER RAFFLE WITH AT LEAST 20 PRIZES WITH A HIGH NELLY OUR TOP PRIZE.

BUT AS A EXTRA TREAT WE HAVE ARRANGED A VIST TO THE MILITARY MUSEUM IN JAMES STEPHEN’S BARRACKS . FOR THOES THAT ARE INTERESTED WE WILL BE MEETING AT TUBS AND TILES AT 12.30 TO BE IN THE BARRACKS FOR 1 . SHARP

ALL INTERESTED PARTIES MUST SUBMIT THEIR NAME AND REG.NO. OF CAR TO Mr DAVID DREELING ON 087 6769798 A.S.A.P. THIS IS PART OF THE SECURITY PROTOCOL AND TO MAKE SURE WE ALL GET IN……

James Stephens Military Barracks

A variety of earlier military barracks existing in Kilkenny City, before the present Barracks.. In St. John’s Parish, a military barracks was situated on the site of what is now Evan’s Home; this was later demolished to make room for the Home. The lane connecting Evan’s Home to John Street is still called Barrack’s Lane in memory of this building.

A variety of factors combined that lead to the construction of the current barracks. The 1798 Rebellion increased security concerns overall in Ireland. The Act of Union in 1801 also brought security issues in Ireland to the attention of the Parliament in London. There was also a trend to relocate military installations outside of the old cramped centres of medieval towns like Kilkenny.

The site chosen in Ballybough Street was on the edge of the built up areas of St. John’s Parish. The land was provided by Walter Butler, the 18th Earl of Ormond. The contractor was James Switser, a Quaker philanthropist. He was an ancestor of the Switzer family, former owners of the Department Store in Grafton Street in Dublin. There was surplus stone after the building work was completed. This was used to build an ‘Asylum’ on the Bennettsbridge Road. This is now known as Switzer’s Asylum.

The Barracks was built to a standard plan issued by the British Board of Works. Similar buildings still exist in Templemore and Mullingar.The original building was to house 200 troops, a company of infantry and a troop of cavalry. By the 1830s this figure had exceeded 500. The living accommodation was gradually added to. Accomodation was later added outside the main complex for soldiers and their familes, these ‘married quarters’ have since being demolished.

In 1852, a Garrison Church was added; this was used by members of the Established Church, i.e Church of Ireland. This building was later converted after the handover of the Barracks for use as a sports’ facility As was common military practice at the time, no single unit was stationed in the Barracks for more than a few years. Most of the units were infantry with a smattering of cavalry and artillery.

Following the passing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1922, British forces began the evacuation of their facilities in the Free State. The Barracks was handed over in February 1922 to Pro-Treaty forces. It was thus spared destruction in the Civil War that followed. The Second World War brought a massive increase in the number of soldiers in the Barracks. By 1941 over 800 soldiers were stationed in Kilkenny City not all in the Barracks. In 1969, the Barracks received its current name, James Stephens Barracks in honour of the founder of the Fenians. Since 1977, major renovations of the buildings and improvements to the grounds of the Barracks have been carried out.

The Barracks during the time of its occupation by the British Army saw many Regiments come and go. These saw service across the oworld in various thetares of operation. A feature of many regiments was the keeping of animal mascots. The grave of one such mascot still survives in the grounds of the Barrcaks. ‘Lion’ a dog saw service with the 24th Regiment of Foot in the Zulu Wars of the late 19th Century in South Africa. He died in 1884 and was interred in the grounds of the Barracks.