107 Year Old Irish Farmer Reflects on Change, 1965

Video from CR's Video Vaults

"Michael Fitzpatrick talks about the many changes that have taken place in farming during his lifetime and recalls an eviction at Bodyke. Michael Fitzpatrick moved from Clare to a farm near Maynooth as part of the Land Commission scheme in 1940 where he has lived ever since. Now aged 107 Michael Fitzpatrick has experienced many changes in the world of farming. The biggest change that has taken place is the introduction of machinery and specifically the combine harvester. Michael Fitzpatrick also remembers seeing an eviction taking place in Bodyke County Clare in June 1887. He recalls the event as being “very cruel” with women and children thrown out of their homes. This episode of ‘Newsbeat’ was broadcast on 7 January 1965. The reporter is Jim Norton." from video introduction.

We don’t like change, we like things to be familiar and predictable; to know what to expect when we wake up each morning. But life is constantly changing and it will always change as long as we are on this fallen broken world.

Today we think that change is terrible and we have high expectations of how to keep it from changing but we cannot.

Just so we don't mistakenly think only our time and culture have suffered in change listen to this brief video from 1965.