IFA tribute to great Clare stalwart

THE role played by the NFA-IFA in pioneering campaigns, which led to the establishment of a strong and united voice for Irish farmers and negotiating rights with the Government, was recalled in North Clare last week.

 

Tom Cahill’s part in promoting the rights of Irish farmers and the spectacular transformation of agriculture was also recognised by IFA deputy president Eddie Downey when he paid a visit to the Corofin man in Ennistymon Community Hospital on Tuesday.

The IFA leader was in North Clare to address a regional meeting of IFA branches on Tuesday night when arrangements were made for him to visit Mr Cahill in Ennistymon hospital where he is having respite care for the past month.

A founder member of the NFA-IFA, Mr Cahill is the last surviving of the nine members who were selected to meet then Agriculture Minister Charles Haughey and then encamped on the steps of the Department of Agriculture in 1966 when the minister refused to meet them and discuss their demands. With thousands of members from all over the country, they had walked to Dublin over six days as part of their Farmers’ Rights Campaign.

When the NFA founded in Dublin on January 6, 1955, Tom Cahill was among the attendance at the Four Provinces Ballroom in Harcourt Street and was elected honorary secretary of the new association. It was the start of a movement, which would make the Cahill name a household one in farming circles all over the country – his brother, Jim, also became one of the leading lights of the NFA (later to become the IFA).

Involved in the co-op movement since the 1940s, Tom was glad to hear the Cahill name has even stronger links with Ireland’s biggest farming organisation, as his nephew, Alan Cahill, is the new chairman of the Corofin branch. Also well known in farming circles, Alan is manager of Farm Relief Services based at Clare Marts, Ennis.

Active up to recently on his farm at Ballyportry outside Corofin, Tom also helped establish the farming body for young members, Macra na Feirme, in 1947. He became a member of the national council and was also a founder member of Clare Macra and an executive officer until 1955.

Also a founding member and a chairman of Clare IFA for 13 years, Tom is now president of the IFA in the county and is an honorary life member of the association.

Other achievements include being a founding member of FBD in 1967 and as an IFA nominee, he sat on the FBD board for 15 years.

Encouraging the development of the co-op movement in Clare and Galway, the Corofin man was also involved in establishing Clare Co-Op Livestock Marts Ltd – later to become known as Clare Marts Ltd – in Ennis in 1958. A great believer in farmers owning their own business, he helped steer the new body through the difficult early years when there was opposition during the boycott by cattle traders. He was also chairman of Clare Marts Advisory Committee for many years. A proud moment for him was when the new state-of-the-art building and premises were opened on the Quin Road in 1989 at a cost of €1.5m.

Tom, who will be 93 years in January, also played a major role in the decision to transfer the creameries and property of the Dairy Disposal Board in Clare to Golden Vale Co-Op in Charleville. He later became a member of the board of Golden Vale for a number of years.

When the IFA celebrated 50 years in 2005, Tom told The Clare Champion of the dark days for Irish farmers in the 1960s. Their frustrations prompted them to undertake the famous march to Dublin and the subsequent Farmers’ Rights Campaigns. He explained that, prior to the march, a survey was carried out by the Agricultural Institute, independent of the government and farmers. It revealed there were some 900,000 farmers living on Ir£5 a week, at a time when cattle prices were chaotic.

He also recalled the bad weather conditions on their six-day march to Dublin, sleeping overnight in caravans on their way. When they reached the capital, a meeting was held in Merrion Square following which Rickard Deasy, later to become NFA president, selected nine members to go on a deputation to Minister Haughey to make their demands. However, when they arrived, the Department of Agriculture’s doors were locked.

“The only thing left for us was to sit down and stay on the steps for 21 days and nights. The protest finished when Seán Lemass, who was concluding his term as Taoiseach to make way for Jack Lynch, met the NFA,” he recalled.

While the protest ended, the trouble was only beginning because the new Minister for Agriculture, Neil Blaney, tried to smash the NFA, Mr Cahill said. Protests by farmers, including road and bridge blockades and the decision to pay no rates subsequently followed.

Looking back over the years, Tom believes one of the greatest achievements of NFA-IFA was to keep clear of politics.

Also a resident with Tom in Ennistymon Community Hospital is fellow NFA-IFA campaigner John Ryan of Moyhill, Corofin.

He said that prior to the NFA campaign in the 1960s, farmers were the only group who had no negotiating rights with the government and had no say about prices and conditions, unlike the trade unions. While he did not take part in any of the blockades of roads and bridges, which were part of the NFA’s campaign, he made several trips to Limerick where Clare NFA members were jailed for not paying court fines arising out of the blockades.

IFA deputy president Eddie Downey said it was important to recognise and appreciate the contribution made to Irish farming by the likes of Tom Cahill and John Ryan.

The visiting group also included Tom’s nephew Alan Cahill from Corofin; Tom Clair, chairman, Ennistymon IFA; MJ O’Brien, vice-chairman of Clare Marts and Peter Davenport, vice-chairman of Ennistymon IFA.