Laois Slieve Bloom man recalls sheaf-throwing triumphs

Dan with his two winning plaques during the 1994 Hughie Bracken festival, Ballyboy.

placeholder image — Dan with his two winning plaques during the 1994 Hughie Bracken festival, Ballyboy.

Rosenallis man was a champion at the rural pursuit that required skill and strength

Popular Slieve Bloom man Dan Lynch this week recalled with fondness and a sense of pride his acclaimed skill at sheaf tossing many years ago when taking part in festivals across the midlands.

A native of Rosenallis, Dan has been an enthusiastic and hardworking member of the Slieve Bloom Association for a long time. In his younger days he was also a keen sportsman, excelling in Gaelic football as well as the once popular sport of sheaf tossing.

For those who don't know, sheaf tossing is a traditional sport where participants toss a bundle of straw or rushes over a raised bar. The event calls for considerable strength and skill. Each participant gets three chances to throw the sheaf over the bar. If they clear the bar, then they advance to the next round when the bar is raised higher.

The competitors progress through the rounds until only one person remains. This lovely tradition celebrates our country's farming heritage. Thankfully, the sport remains a popular event at rural festivals.

One of the competitions which Dan won was the Sheaf Throwing event during Hughie Bracken's threshing festival in 1994. Hughie Bracken is a farmer and the festival used to be held on his land in the Ballyboy area of Offaly.

Dan recalled that the sheaf during the Hughie Bracken festival was made of rushes tied with twine.

"The weight was 14 pounds. There were two high poles and a cross bar. The cross bar started at 15 feet. We used a two prong fork to toss the sheaf. When the bar reached 24 feet there were still three of us left in the competition. One man was from Mayo, another from Limerick and there was myself from Laois. I was the only one of us who was able to toss the sheaf over the 24 foot bar, therefore I won the contest,” he said.

One of the competitions which Dan won was the Sheaf Throwing event during Hughie Bracken's threshing festival in 1994. Hughie Bracken is a farmer and the festival used to be held on his land in the Ballyboy area of Offaly. Dan recalled that the sheaf during the Hughie Bracken festival was “made of rushes tied with twine. The weight was 14 pounds. There were two high poles and a cross bar. The cross bar started at 15 feet. We used a two prong fork to toss the sheaf. When the bar reached 24 feet there were still three of us left in the competition. One man was from Mayo, another from Limerick and there was myself from Laois. I was the only one of us who was able to toss the sheaf over the 24 foot bar, therefore I won the contest.” Dan also took part in the weight tossing event on the day. The picture below shows him throwing the winning toss over the 24 foot high bar.

He was triumphant as well in the sheaf tossing event held in the village of Ballylinan, south-east Laois, in 1991. Dan excelled too in tug of war events, participating as the anchor man with his fellow team members from the Stradbally area.

“This was a very good and keen Stradbally team,” he remarked, “and we took part in quite a few events, including the World Ploughing Championships in Oak Park, Carlow in 1996. It was great craic.”

Earlier in his life Dan was an excellent underage footballer, winning medals with the renowned St Joseph's GAA Club (located near Stradbally) in 1956, 1957 and 1958. St Joseph's was founded in 1954 and it would go on to become one of the most successful GAA clubs in Laois.