OPINION (AN COLÚN): Silage, slurry and a Saint's relics while driving north

As I was driving to and from Tyrone / Derry on Saturday week last, it was very obvious that the silage season was in full swing, as farmers from Offaly up to Derry took full advantage of the fine weather and set about cutting the fields for their winter feed.
I passed countless monster tractors and silage harvesters en route and often had to pull over to let them pass on the narrow country roads.
Our Emerald Isle looked magnificent in the June sunshine. The trees and hedgerows were in full foliage and the splashes of white from the whitethorn bushes were lovely.
Sometimes when I pulled over for the huge tractors a burst of birdsong would flood in through my open window. Each burst of birdsong felt like a shout of positivity, an expression of the joy of the season.
The giant tractors, I am told, can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour and have impressive consoles in their cabins. Most of those I passed looked like they were going at their maximum speed. There was a sense of urgency, of trying to get as much done as possible before the weather turned. It was understandable, but I hoped they weren't compromising on safety as they rushed about.
In fact, the silage season is a high-risk time on any farm due to the long hours, the time pressure and the increase in the level of activity of tractors and trailers and silage harvesters on our country roads and farmyards.
The majority of fatal accidents on farms occur due to people getting struck or crushed by a farm vehicle in or around a farmyard. Older farmers and children are particularly at risk, and it's advised that farmyards should be ‘no go areas’ for children without supervision during silage making. “However tempting it might be,” says one farm safety notice, “don’t ask contractors to give a child a ‘spin’ on their tractors and machines.”
Slurry spreading usually follows rapidly after silage making (spreading its delightful aroma throughout the landscape!) During slurry spreading deaths occur due to slurry gas poisoning, therefore farmers are advised to ventilate by always picking a windy day; and to open all doors and outlets, as well as keeping all persons away when agitating and handling slurry.
Tragically, people sometimes drown in slurry tanks, therefore farmers are advised to guard them to the fullest possible extent. Silage effluent is often diverted into slurry tanks to prevent water pollution.
Farming is one of the most dangerous sectors to work in, but thankfully the number of accidents halved last year. There were nine deaths in 2021. A Health and Safety inspector pointed out that this was a probable sign that the safety messaging is getting through to farmers. “We know what’s causing the major incidents leading to loss of life and serious injuries,” commented the inspector. “Losing control of a workplace vehicle, whether that’s a tractor, excavator or other machine, and falling from a height, are the key triggers. If employers focus on these two key areas many lives will be saved in 2022.”
As I drove northwards I saw a roadside poster with the words “Relics of Saint...” and I couldn't catch the rest, but it made me think for a while about the custom of touring saints' relics, which is still a strong part of our culture despite the rise of secularism and the major changes in society. I read an interesting article about relics recently. It pointed out that this practice is not peculiar to Christianity but is found in other religions as well. In fact the preservation and veneration of objects associated with persons who played important roles in the family, the tribe or the nation seems to be a very ancient and widespread human trait. “The Christian cult of relics,” comments one historian, “appears to have stemmed from the veneration of the tombs and bodily remains of the martyrs in the centuries of Late Antiquity in the Mediterranean world. Already by the fourth century AD the cult of relics and the search for them was well developed."
My destination was the Sperrin mountain range on the Tyrone / Derry border and a beautiful hike over a few 2,000 foot hills. I passed a few 'Save Our Sperrins' roadside signs. I guessed the signs might be referring to a plan to erect wind turbines in the range. I was wrong. As far as I know there is no such plan. The signs in fact refer to a proposed project to open a gold mine in the area, at Greencastle, Co Tyrone. Residents travelled to London in December to protest against the project. They said the plan was causing stress and sleepless nights. The planning application for the Dalradian Gold Mine project was submitted in November 2017 and there have been more than 40,000 representations since about the proposal. People are objecting to it on environmental grounds. Locals will have to be relocated before the mine goes ahead and Dalradian says it will pay them to relocate. Locals are saying there's more to life than money. They also handed in a letter to 10 Downing Street which stated, “The Sperrin Mountains are our home - a wild, unspoilt, naturally beautiful place we share with an amazing array of wildlife, flora and fauna, animals, sparkling mountain streams, wells, lakes, rivers, sacred and historic places, battle sites, ancient Sli and rich archaeology. We have come to London with a clear message: Our people do not want goldmining or Dalradian Gold.”