Stephen - farming background

After 14 years working in the farming sector Stephen found himself laid off last March. He went to the Jobsclub in Navan and it was there that he was introduced to Meath Volunteer Centre. ‘I’d never have thought about volunteering before, it just wasn’t something that was on my radar. But it gave me a whole different view of life. I suppose I was like an old computer that needed the hardware taken out and all the viruses cleared out!’

‘After speaking to the Volunteer Centre I realised that there were a few reasons why I wanted to give volunteering a go. One of the motivations was selfish as it was a chance to network and keep my skills and mind sharp. There was also the element of giving something back to the community.’

‘The Volunteer Centre put me in touch with the Meath Field Names Group. They are a voluntary organisation that gathers details of all the fields in County Meath – their names, any special features and history or folklore that is attached to them. ‘The project itself was a very slow methodical process. When you make the initial contact with the farmer, there is an element of suspicion to start off with. But as soon as you tell them who you are and what you’re about all of a sudden all barriers are down and they are happy to share their stories. You could end up there for 3 or 4 hours talking about 2 fields. The farmers are very passionate about their land and to hear them talking about them in such details is absolutely fascinating. You’d find out all sort of tales, who did this and who done that and what sort of client he was. An awful lot of it wasn’t printable, but it was very entertaining. You think you’re seen it all but you go into places and then the farmers take out old maps, it’s then you realise you haven’t seen half of it.’

‘I found that particular project very interesting and worthwhile. I think that in our quest for money and material goods we’ve lost a lot of our culture, that’s why I think projects like this are so important. I think that this scheme should be rolled out among the 32 counties – as far as I’m concerned it’s crucial. At the moment it’s a living history, but that will soon be gone. A lot of the old men that I was talking to are in there late 70’s and they’ve worked the land all their life. But that’s going to be gone in 10 to 15 years.’

I’ve had such a wonderful experience with volunteering. It was interesting and entertaining and at the same time. When I’m dead and gone people will still have a record of this oral history and I believe that it something worthwhile to have been a part of.