A Commemorative plaque, honouring the late John O’Gorman will be unveiled in Doonbeg village on this Saturday at 2pm.
Already remembered for his huge contribution to Clare GAA, in the form of the O’Gorman Cup, John O’Gorman’s contribution to the ICMSA will now be acknowledged on Saturday.
He was the first national vice-chairman of the ICMSA, which was established following a meeting in Nenagh on July 8, 1950.
Incredibly, John O’Gorman cycled to that meeting in Nenagh with a neighbour from Clohanes, Doonbeg. They left home at 4am on the day of the meeting, returning the following morning at 4am.
Martin McMahon, Clare ICMSA chairman, paid tribute to John O’Gorman this week, saying the Doonbeg man was a visionary figure.
“He got up off his backside, went to Nenagh and formed the ICMSA. We owe him a huge debt. He saw that there was a need for representation for farmers and he saw the changes in the times,” Martin McMahon said.
“People were milking cows at home and churning their own milk and making their own butter. Things changed when the creameries started up and the co-ops came into being. Things also changed from fairs to marts. He said ‘these men need representation.’
“Farming was at a very low ebb at the time and the needed help. John was to the forefront. He was a visionary. We owe a huge legacy to the likes of John O’Gorman,” Mr McMahon stressed.
John O’Gorman was the last surviving founder member of the ICMSA.
A group of people, including Michael Neenan, James O’Halloran, Paddy Doyle, Flan Shanahan, Patrick Kelly and Pat McInerney, have come together, along with the ICMSA, to aid the project.
“The plaque will be right in the middle of Doonbeg,” Michael Neenan explained. “It’s known as Boland’s Corner but I own it now. We took down an old wall and we built a stone wall for it. Michael McTigue is the man who has designed the plaque. It’s about four-foot high and about nine inches wide.
“It’s a lovely piece. He has put two creamery tanks into it as well,” Michael Neenan added.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.