'Keep your eyes peeled' as Munster's tractor runs take to the roads

Normally, during the festive season, once darkness falls, kids, big and small, hold their breath and start watching out for magical moving vehicles with colourful flashing lights, but this Christmas it’s not Santa’s sleigh they’re hoping to catch a glimpse of, but our own native, Christmas Tractors of Ireland!

Santa takes cover from the rain pictured at the Light Up Limerick tractor run from Castletroy, Limerick Saturday night.

Over the years, Christmas tractor parades have become a feature of rural Ireland, representing the best of Irish ‘craic’ and community spirit. This year, though some night-time parades have been cancelled due to Covid, for others it’s still a case of ‘lights, cameras, action’ as illuminated fleets secretly take to the roads and upload footage of their festive convoys online for viewers at home and abroad.

In South Tipperary, the Christmas Tractors of Carrick on Suir usually attracts 20,000 spectators. 

Carrick held the first Christmas tractor parade in the country seven years ago, and holds a world record for the convoy with the most illuminated lights (118,000). 

Their parade usually ends in amusements and a Santa’s grotto, but this year, instead of concentrating exclusively on one town, the tractors are embarking on a secret 35km convoy on December 23, taking in five towns in one night across Waterford, Tipperary, and Kilkenny. 

Local farmer, Stuart Downie from agricultural videography business Crop Cruisers says this year’s event is in aid of a young Waterford girl whose family is in difficulty, and so he was determined the parade would proceed, ensuring safety and social distancing.

“Every year people come from all over to see our parade, we’ve even been on Canadian television," he said. "Every year we get people living abroad asking: ‘When are you running? I want to make sure I have my ticket booked to come home.’ 

“This year, more than ever, people need cheering up, they might not be able to get back to their community and are missing home. So to stay safe, and to make as many people as possible happy, we’re streaming the event live.” 

 “We’re asking people to stay on their own property. We’re also mindful of our young tractor enthusiasts and any young people wanting to light up their own tractor, under parental supervision, can send us a clip and we’ll put together a short video to post on social media.”

Over the weekend, the East Limerick Red Cross organised a parade of lights incorporating tractors, bikes, and cars, which ran from Castletroy through Limerick City with exact details kept vague until the last minute, for social distancing and crowd control purposes. 

When Christmas Tractors of Nenagh uploaded their tractor parade on Facebook over the weekend, they kept the route and night secret. They took to the Tipperary roads with 26 illuminated tractors, flying Mr and Mrs Claus in a sleigh to spread a bit of festive cheer. 

As always, there’s a serious side though, as they are fundraising for farm safety and a local child.

Not to be outdone, Kerry tractors are hinting they, too, might make a festive season comeback. They already made a surprise appearance at the turning on of the Christmas lights at Asdee. 

“We decided to head off to Ballybunion then for a drive,” says Lisselton farmer, Gerard McNamara. 

Gerard, Ciaran, Aodhan and Oisin McNamara from Lisselton Kerry pictured at the Light Up Limerick tractor run from Castletroy, Limerick Saturday night.

Christmas is about children, and children love tractors. I’m a big kid myself, and sure you’re not Irish if you can’t do something fun and have a bit of a laugh at yourself. 

"It’s important that this year isn’t all doom and gloom. We might do another spur-of-the-moment run before the festive season is over."

With their spontaneity and unpredictability, there’s no doubt that despite this year’s Covid-19 challenges, the Christmas Tractors have managed to retain their sense of fun and magic, so much so that tractor parades might well start appearing anywhere over the holidays. 

As McNamara says, ‘you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled’.