A swish-swish of scything satisfaction

The word 'math' is the name for grass that has been cut with a scythe, and the 'aftermath' is what grows in its place afterwards, writes Brian Byrne. A word that has entered the English language in a much more general usage.

That's just one of the gems of information I gleaned from Ray Kelly about his lately-acquired fascination with the scythe. It's an implement which has been around in Europe for many centuries, replacing the back-breaking work of cutting grass with a sickle. Ray will be demonstrating how to use the scythe on Thursday night next, the 18th, on Nicholastown Green. The event one of the Kilcullen contributions to National Heritage Week.

Using a scythe instead of a motor mower to cut grass that has been left to grow wild — as on parts of the Green for a number of years — can be advantageous both to the operator and the environment.

"There's the exercise, for one thing," Ray told the Diary on a short preview session last evening. "I get a physical satisfaction doing it." It's quiet work too, no engines, no motors, no riding around the field in a vehicle burning fossil fuels and pumping out emissions. "Though it would take me a week at least to do the Green on my own this way," he mused as he swung the implement with apparent, but possibly deceptive ease.

It's time for the 'wild' parts of the Green to be trimmed down, taking the top layer of grass off in order to give other plants — wild flowers like Yellow-rattle among them — a chance. "Yellow-rattle is one of the wild flowers we planted a couple of years ago, and last year you couldn't get seeds for it anywhere there was so much demand. So next week I'll be encouraging people to box the seeds and take them home for planting."

Using the scythe is also a way to protect the many small creatures that live in the wild patches, usually unbeknownst to residents nearby. "There are mice and shrews and similar — if you use a machine mower they may get killed, with the scythe you're slower and making a lot of noise. They have time to get out of the way or burrow down under the low grass. If you pull the grass back you can see their tunnels."

The demonstration next week will be hands-on and Ray is quite happy to show other people there how to use the scythe — "that will also help get more of the grass cut," he quips, channelling how Tom Sawyer inveigled Huck Finn into taking over the painting of his aunt's picket fence.

He says there's not really any heavy effort involved, it's a matter of rhythm and getting into the correct swing of the thing. You don't, for instance, pull the blade against the grass, you swish it sideways so there's a long cutting action. "It's also important to keep it sharp, they say you need to hone it every five minutes." He runs a thumb across the edge. "It's not actually very keen just now — when I got it the edge was like a razor-blade, it would take your fingerprint off."

Ray acquired a number of scythes from a maker in West Cork. He has learned the relevant words for the tool's parts — the snaith for the long wooden arm, and the blade parts that include the toe, heel, beard, knob and neck among them. All part of life-long learning.

I left him on the Green, the 'swish swish' of the blade in the relative cool after the heat of the day sounding really relaxing ...

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